Themes by tag: demining

On August 20, the Media Center Ukraine will host a briefing to discuss the progress made by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) in clearing mines from Ukrainian territories. The briefing will also cover the outcomes of the “Mind the Mines” (Pomichai Zminy) campaign, an initiative aimed at increasing public awareness about the dangers posed by mines and other explosive hazards.

Launched on June 10, 2024, the “Mind the Mines” campaign seeks to educate Ukrainians on how to identify and avoid explosive devices. One key component of this effort is the educational series “Mine Safety,” available on the Diia.Education platform. This series provides critical information on recognizing and responding to potential threats.

Participants: 

• Serhii Reva, Head of the Department for Organizational Work on Humanitarian Demining at the Ukraine’s State Emergency Service;
• Oleksandr Khorunzhiy, Press Officer of the State Emergency Service;
• Ruslana Korenchuk, Project Manager of Diia.Education. 

For reference: As a result of russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has become the most heavily mined country in the world. The State Emergency Service estimates that 24% of the nation’s territory, or approximately 144,000 square kilometers, may be contaminated with mines, posing severe risks to civilians. According to the National Mine Action Authority, since the war’s escalation, explosive ordnance have claimed the lives of 303 civilians, including 15 children. Additionally, 703 people have been injured, 81 of whom are children.

• Kyiv
• demining

In Ukraine, a mine countermeasures training project was launched to train people affected by explosive ordnance. As of now, 12 participants have joined the initiative, most of whom are veterans of the russo-Ukrainian war. The training will last three weeks.

During the training, participants will, in particular, learn about various aspects of UAV operation, data collection and analysis. After all, UAV operators are currently required for surveying territories and analyzing aerial photographs.

The goal of the project is to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities and to promote humanitarian demining in Ukraine with the help of innovative technologies.

The training has already started: the theoretical part will take place in Kyiv, and the field trips will take place in Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions.

For reference: The project is implemented by the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine with the participation of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the State Employment Center and the financial support of the Dutch government.

• Kyiv
• demining

At 30 years old, Iryna Nomerovska is a certified economist and the mother of a fifth-grader, Eva. In the spring of 2022, her family was trapped under russian occupation in their hometown of Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine. By a stroke of luck, they managed to escape, evading enemy checkpoints and fleeing toward the Kyiv region. Along the way, Iryna was struck by the extent of the devastation and the proliferation of mine warning signs.

A year later, Iryna returned to Mykolaiv, a city near Kherson, where she joined the HALO Ukraine team. Today, she leads a non-technical survey team, working to identify hazardous areas in her native southern region.

Journalists interested in speaking with Iryna can arrange interviews in the Mykolaiv region.
For reference: The HALO Trust is the world’s largest international non-profit organization dedicated to clearing mines and unexploded ordnance. For 35 years, it has operated in 30 countries and territories.

• occupation
• women
• Mykolaiv
• demining

EOD specialist Anastasiia Kuzminych, who works for the international organization the Halo Trust, met her future husband right on a minefield. Anastasiia and Illia worked on neighboring lines, and during the breaks, Illia helped her to carry heavy objects. Later, they kept in touch and finally got married.

Today, Anastasiia’s husband, Illia Khomiak, is the Head of the Non-Technical Examination Groups, and recently he brought his 22-year-old brother Andrii to the Halo Trust. Andrii works as a paramedic in an EOD unit and is glad that demining has become a family business.

Journalists are welcome to learn more and talk with Anastasiia and Illia in Kharkiv region.

For reference: the Halo Trust is the largest international non-profit organization that has been clearing mines and explosive ordnance in 30 countries and territories around the world for 35 years.

• Kharkiv
• demining

A manicurist, an IT expert, a doctor, a finance major, a private entrepreneur, a confectioner or a dancer — this is just a part of the list of professions of Ukrainians working with The Halo Trust international organization. People with a background in various industries take specialized courses and become deminers, that is, they detect and mark explosive objects. Deminers are paid for their work.

As of now, a total of 1,200 Ukrainians are involved in demining efforts in 6 regions: Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv and Kherson. Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, 19,000 mines and explosive objects have been discovered with the efforts of The Halo Trust. Three million square meters of territory was cleared of mines (an equivalent of 300 football fields).

Journalists can learn more about the work of The Halo Trust in Ukraine and cover its activities.

For reference: According to the State Emergency Service, 30% of the territory of Ukraine is contaminated by mines.

• demining

EOD specialists of the Municipal Guard of Irpin community can now demine not only land contaminated by explosives, but also local bodies of water. They will do it with an underwater drone. It can descend to a depth of 150 meters and examine the bottom without endangering divers.

A local resident helped to raise funds and purchase a drone. In this way, she wanted to thank the EOD specialists who neutralized the mine in her yard.

In addition, two EOD specialists of the Municipal Guard have already completed a two-month training course for divers at the Kyiv State Maritime School. The priority plans are to clear the local quarry, where russian shells landed during last year’s fighting in Kyiv region.

By prior agreement, journalists are welcome to cover how EOD specialists work with an underwater drone.

For reference: 40 days after the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, the specialists of the EOD Department of Municipal Guard, public utility service under the Irpin City Council began demining the territory of the community. The land is cleared by local residents who have undergone training and mastered the EOD profession. (Among them are, in particular, war veterans, former special forces, and retired sappers). Over the course of their work, the team discovered 1,000 artillery shells and mortar mines, more than 100 tripwire grenades and about 1,000 anti-tank mines.

• Kyiv
• demining

Anton Tenyk has been engaged in farming for the past 5 years. He runs a farm in Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine. Since the Armed Forces of Ukraine de-occupied the right bank of the Kherson region, farmers have decided to get back to work. However, it has proved to be an uphill struggle, as most of the fields were contaminated with mines. Ukrainian military and sappers were clearing these areas of land mines, and Anton and other farmers did not stand aside: they used handheld mine detectors to detect shell casings and mortar shells. When pinpointing an unknown object, they seek professional help.

The farmers turned to their colleagues and charitable foundations for help to get fertilizers, seeds, and diesel fuel. Anton says that overcoming the odds, they managed to sow 800 hectares of sunflower, 400 hectares of barley, and 150 hectares of peas. Now the man is trying to employ all those who return home to the liberated regions of Kherson.

• Kherson
• demining

One of the areas of work of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Ukraine is non-technical survey of the territory and clearance of explosives. The DRC work involves training sappers of the State Emergency Service and volunteer civilians to search for explosive ordnance. Since the contaminated areas are quite large, DRC is raising the number of demining specialists who, after completing their training, will get a job in the organization. Deminers work in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv regions together with the State Emergency Service, because it is sappers who have to remove explosive objects. In addition, the organization provides grant support to those affected by mines or other explosive remnants of war.

For reference: Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s territory has become one of the most contaminated with explosives in the world. According to the UN, it will take dozens of years to demine the country.

• Chernihiv
• Kharkiv
• Kyiv
• Mykolaiv
• demining

Vitalii Kucherenko is a Ukrainian military man with almost 30 years of experience. He has been defending Ukraine since 2014 (he took part in the battles for Ilovaisk, Maryinka, and Avdiivka in particular). He was discharged from military service in 2017. During his service, he faced the major issue of the occupiers’ mining of Ukrainian land and in 2020, founded a private humanitarian company in mine action and later a training center for those wishing to learn the explosive ordnance survey and clearance experts profession. The center operates in the Khmelnytskyi region. There are already 174 people who have taken the course, including about 30 veterans of the Russia-Ukraine war, who are now qualified as demining experts. Currently, Vitalii’s company employs three veterans, and they are preparing to take part in land release operations.

For reference: According to preliminary forecasts, every 10th worker in Ukraine will be a veteran after the war is over. According to a recent study on ex-military employment, over 60% of employers had no experience working with veterans and, accordingly, had no experience recruiting veterans. 

• russian crimes
• Khmelnytskyi
• demining

Mykola Polezhayev is a pyrotechnic engineer from the Mykolaiv region who has been working in this field for over 7 years. In April this year, a newly developed cluster munition detonated near Mykola in the garage cooperative where he came to work. An EOD 9 special protective suit saved him from death. However, his injuries could not be avoided: his left hand had burns, fractures, and shrapnel wounds, and his right finger was broken.

Now the pyrotechnician has undergone rehabilitation and is back working side by side with his colleagues to defuse ammunition.

For reference: Currently, 30% of Ukraine’s territory is contaminated with mines. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, 221 people have been killed by landmines or unexploded ordnance, and 450 others have been injured.

• casualties
• Mykolaiv
• demining