Themes by tag: demining

Diana Obzhelyan, 21, studied the Chinese language at Kyiv University and planned to become a translator. However, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine upended her path. She switched to part-time studies and became a deminer with HALO Ukraine.

Diana spent a year demining the northern Ukraine and now teaches people how to stay safe from mines and other explosive hazards.

Journalists can arrange to speak with Diana, who works in various regions of Ukraine.

Background: HALO Ukraine is the Ukrainian program of The HALO Trust, the world’s largest non-governmental, non-profit humanitarian demining organization. For the past 37 years, The HALO Trust has been clearing mines and explosive ordnance in 30 countries worldwide.

• women
• demining

On August 26, HALO Ukraine will host the opening of the Women in Demining photo exhibition staged in Kyiv.

The project highlights Ukrainian women working across different roles in mine clearance, underscoring the importance of bringing women into fields traditionally dominated by men while offering a closer look at their career paths.

The opening ceremony will feature the women portrayed in the exhibition.

Among them is 25-year-old Tetiana Mordach, Ukraine’s first and only female diver trained in explosive ordnance disposal. Before the full-scale war, she worked as a rescue diver. When russia launched its invasion, she joined the State Emergency Service as a diver. Her work involves one of the most difficult and dangerous tasks: clearing mines and locating and neutralizing explosives. Mordach dreams of one day exploring the seabed of Crimea’s Black Sea after Ukraine’s victory.

Diana Obzhelian, 21, studied Chinese at Kyiv University and planned to become a translator. The war upended her path: she switched to part-time studies and became a deminer with HALO Ukraine. After spending a year clearing mines in the north, she now trains communities on how to stay safe from landmines and other explosive devices.

Valeriia Osyka, 23, works as a deminer in the Kharkiv region. Not long ago, her daily routine was very different, when she served as a fire and industrial safety engineer at a university in Kharkiv. Today, she says her favorite moments come when she sees nature reclaiming once-dangerous fields: “When wheat grows green again on cleared land.”

Journalists can review the full program and must register for accreditation by 2 p.m. on August 25.

Global Affairs Canada and Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture support the project. Partners include Demine Ukraine, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, the National Police of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Deminers Association, MAG, FSD, UDA, NPA, and UNOPS.

HALO Ukraine is part of The HALO Trust, the world’s largest non-governmental, nonprofit humanitarian mine clearance organization. For 37 years, The HALO Trust has been clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance across 30 countries.

• women
• Kyiv
• demining

Kyiv has strengthened its defenses against war remnants by establishing a pyrotechnic unit for underwater and humanitarian demining. This unit operates under the Emergency Rescue Squad of the Main Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kyiv.

The unit has already undergone appropriate training and is fully equipped, particularly the diving team.

To improve their skills, rescue sappers practice different response scenarios daily. One of these training sessions involved recovering a training hand grenade from the Dnipro River.

• Kyiv
• demining

Serhii Lisovytskyi joined HALO Ukraine in May 2023. Before the full-scale invasion, he worked in quarries in his hometown of Druzhkivka, Donetsk oblast. After February 24, he enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, fought on the frontlines, and was wounded. Following his demobilization, Serhii sought ways to contribute, and volunteers recommended he join HALO Ukraine.

Serhii says that he started in manual demining but felt drawn to machinery: “I had experience with heavy equipment — excavators, bulldozers — and I realized that this was my calling. Now I’m a mechanical demining operator. I do what truly speaks to my soul.”

On demining sites, Serhii often encounters treacherous traps — mines deliberately planted to target deminers. The job demands absolute focus.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Serhii in Kharkiv oblast by prior agreement.

• Kharkiv
• demining

Andrii Voronkin runs one of the largest agricultural enterprises in Kharkiv oblast, spanning the Lozova and Izium districts. russia’s invasion in 2022 cost him 150 million hryvnia in destroyed equipment and left 15,000 hectares of his land littered with landmines.

After the oblast was liberated, Andrii and his team underwent demining training and cleared 9,000 hectares of explosives. They also established the enterprise “Humanitarian Security.” Today, the team includes 30 deminers who are former farmers and now assist with demining in de-occupied communities in the oblast and other frontline regions.

The specialized demining course is completed in Kamianets-Podilskyi. The training lasts two months, after which the deminers receive a certificate and a permit to work in mined territories.

Andrii’s agro-firm is currently developing and testing soil restoration agents on its own fields because environmental contamination during mine disposal is unavoidable.

Andrii Voronkin can be reached online or in person in Kharkiv oblast by prior arrangement.

• Kharkiv
• demining

Olena Yefremova, a paramedic and deminer from Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast, has been serving with the HALO Ukraine team since 2021. Previously employed as a saleswoman, she made a decisive career change after learning about the call for deminers in Bakhmut, promptly joining the ranks.

Today, Olena’s son is also a member of HALO, having been persuaded by his mother to enlist.

Reflecting on her work, Olena says, “I don’t keep track of how many explosive devices I have discovered. But I know that our efforts translate directly into lives saved.”

Journalists may arrange interviews with Olena and her son by prior appointment in the Kyiv region.

• women
• Kyiv
• demining

On May 1, the Media Center Ukraine will hold a briefing “How the State Emergency Service of Ukraine is demining Ukraine: equipment, personnel, innovations, and global aid”.

Participants:

– Serhii Reva, Head of the Department for Organizational Work on Humanitarian Demining at the Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.

Key topics:

– Progress and scope of demining operations: What has been accomplished by SES explosive ordnance disposal teams? 

– Which countries supply the most equipment and machinery for explosive ordnance clearance, and how does this support enhance the operational capacity of the SES?

– What is the current status of water bodies affected by unexploded ordnance? 

– Does the SES have a sufficient number of pyrotechnic specialists, and what are the current staffing levels? 

– What new technologies and methods are being employed in SES demining efforts?

• Kyiv
• demining

On April 23, the Media Center Ukraine in Kyiv will host a presentation of an awareness campaign for farmers on the state mine action compensation program

Participants:

– Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine;

– Volodymyr Baida, Director of the Center for Humanitarian Demining;

– Maria Gutsman, Team Leader for the Inclusive Development, Recovery, and Peacebuilding (IDRPB) at UNDP Ukraine

– Oleh Khomenko, General Director of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club;

– Leonid Kozachenko, President of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation.

For reference: Since the beginning of the year, farmers have submitted 225 applications to participate in the state compensation program for the demining of agricultural land. Of these, 189 were rejected by the Humanitarian Demining Center for failing to meet legal requirements. 

As of mid-April, 13 auctions have been conducted, resulting in nearly UAH 291 million allocated for the clearance of 4,300 hectares of farmland. The program’s total budget stands at UAH 3 billion, and the Ministry of Economy aims to clear as much agricultural land as possible within these funding limits.

• Kyiv
• demining

On March 27, the Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing “Demining-2025: Challenges and Achievements”.

Participants:

– Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine

Key topics:

– Ukraine’s demining achievements by 2025;

– Compensation program for farmers: progress and updates;

– Land prioritization: pilot project update;

– State capabilities and innovations in demining.

• Kyiv
• demining

Before russia’s large-scale aggression against Ukraine broke out, 38-year-old Artem Kostiuk worked as a gas boiler operator and ran a power tool sales and repair shop in Sloviansk. Even as the front line drew dangerously close, he remained at his post, ensuring people had heat until the very last moment. But when a russian missile leveled his store, he knew it was time for a drastic change.

In November 2024, Artem became the head of HALO Ukraine’s mine clearance team in the Kyiv region. His wife, Maryna, also joined the effort. Today, he continues his work in the Chernihiv region, clearing explosives left behind by the war.

Artem says his years in the boiler room prepared him for this high-stakes responsibility. “One mistake could have left 20,000 to 30,000 people without heat. Explosive ordnance disposal is different, but the core responsibility is the same—people’s lives and well-being depend on me. Every day, I’m responsible for the safety of my team and Ukrainians as a whole.”

For reference: Journalists can interview Artem in the Chernihiv region by prior arrangement.

The HALO Trust is the world’s largest international nonprofit dedicated to clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance. For 35 years, it has operated in 30 countries and territories.

By April 6, 2022, Ukrainian forces had fully liberated the Chernihiv region from russian occupation.

• Chernihiv
• demining