Ukraine's efforts in mine clearance are yielding results. Since 2022, 35,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory have been made safe for people through the joint efforts of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and non-governmental operators. This was stated by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko during the opening of the UMAC 2024 Mine Action Conference, which started on October 17 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
"As of 2022, 174,000 square kilometers were potentially mined. To date, our sappers have surveyed and returned 35,000 square kilometers to safe use. These impressive results not only affect Ukrainians but also global food security. Ukraine is now among the top ten wheat producers in the world. Ukrainian grain is imported by 57 countries. Therefore, food security is one of the key elements of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Peace Formula," Svyrydenko noted.
She added that at the beginning of 2023, Ukraine had no heavy machinery for mine clearance, only six operators and 1,500 sappers. Thanks to the joint efforts of Ukraine and its partners, today:
- A total of 98 mechanical mine clearance machines and over 4,300 sappers are operational.
- 58 operators have been certified, with another 57 in the certification process.
To assist farmers in clearing agricultural lands, the government has introduced a mechanism for 100% compensation for demining services funded by the state budget. To expedite and reduce the cost of clearing territories, the government has launched a humanitarian demining services market. So far, 24 tenders have been announced in the Prozorro system, leading to the first successful procurements. As a result of the auctions, the cost of mine clearance has decreased by 18%.
Work is also underway to develop equipment and technology for mine clearance.
"A key direction for the Ukrainian government is the localization and development of domestic production of mine clearance equipment and technology. This will not only accelerate but also reduce the cost of clearing Ukraine of mines and explosive objects. Additionally, this contributes to the economy's development, as manufacturing equipment in Ukraine creates new jobs and additional tax revenues," Svyrydenko said.
She mentioned that machines for preparing soil for demining are being created in Kharkiv and are already operational in the fields. The Lviv company Rover Tech has certified a machine called "Zmiya," which can survey up to 2.5 hectares of land per day. Localization is also in progress; currently, out of 45 mechanical mine clearance machines from Croatian company DOK-ING operating in Ukraine, 8 are produced domestically.
"We also promote the principle of 'supporting Ukraine with Ukrainian resources.' We already have positive examples of UN agencies purchasing equipment from Ukrainian manufacturers, thus supporting our economy. After all, up to 40% of the cost of equipment produced in Ukraine returns to the budget in the form of taxes, and this money can be directed towards the needs of the security and defense sector," Svyrydenko stated.
In her speech, the First Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that Ukraine and its partners are working together to find innovative approaches to financing mine clearance activities. Implementing new mechanisms will help cover some of the costs of clearing Ukrainian territory.
