In February 2024, Ukraine, together with partner countries, signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the creation of the De-mining Coalition, marking the start of its operations.
Contamination of Ukrainian lands by explosive objects and war remnants is one of the greatest threats to the civilian population of Ukraine. At the same time, there is a critical need at the frontlines for equipment to clear enemy minefields and carry out Ukraine’s own mining operations.
To address these issues, in February 2024, the De-mining Coalition of Ukraine was established within the framework of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, becoming one of eight capability coalitions. Lithuania and Iceland took the lead in coordinating and managing the work of the coalition.
The De-mining Coalition is the largest among the capability coalitions in terms of the number of member states—22 countries. In addition to Lithuania and Iceland, Belgium, Greece, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Moldova, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, France, Finland, Croatia, Czechia, Sweden, and Japan are also involved. Their efforts include providing Ukraine with the necessary equipment and training Ukrainian specialists.
The coalition's activities focus on both humanitarian and combat de-mining, with the primary goal of attracting international support in these areas.
The coalition has established a centralized mechanism for raising funds and making procurements through Lithuania, as the lead state, and its Central Project Management Agency (CPMA).
Overall, the coalition has raised over 50 million euros in contributions from partners and has provided more than 200 units of specialized vehicles to the engineering units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the State Special Transport Service. Additionally, 100 systems for clearing minefields, 41 armored vehicles, 330 mine detectors, 154 anti-drone rifles, as well as other equipment and supplies have been delivered.
Moreover, over 4,000 Ukrainian de-mining specialists have been trained according to NATO and IMAS standards at partner countries’ training centers, with further training continuing.
In total, eight capability coalitions have been created under the framework of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group: the Air Force Coalition, the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Coalition, the Naval Capabilities Coalition, the Drone Coalition, the IT Coalition, the Artillery Coalition, the Armored Vehicles and Maneuverability Coalition, and the De-mining Coalition.
On January 9, 2025, defense leaders from 14 leading countries and Ukraine agreed on the development roadmaps for all the coalitions' capabilities. This took place during a meeting of the Coalition Leaders Group within the framework of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (the "Ramstein" format).
