In February, mine action operators continued to clear territories under agreements within the framework of the state programme of compensation for the demining of agricultural land.

According to Deputy Minister of Economy Ihor Bezkaravainyi, one of the agreements – for the clearance of a 28.5 hectare site in Kharkiv region – has been completed.

“In February, the demining of agricultural land under the agreements concluded last year continued. At one of the sites in Kharkiv region, the work has been fully completed: the HRAIS farm received 28.5 hectares of land cleared by the HUMANITARNA BEZPEKA operator.

With the onset of warmer weather, we are preparing for more active work under the agreements already concluded and expansion of the areas for which the state compensates for demining. The Centre for Humanitarian Demining has already announced the first auctions this year for the purchase of humanitarian demining services for agricultural land in the Prozorro system,” said Ihor Bezkaravainyi.

According to the Deputy Minister of Economy, a significant event in February was the launch of the Platform for Innovations in Humanitarian Demining, which will become a place for accumulating, testing and implementing the latest technologies in the field.

Last month, a new tool was introduced to the humanitarian demining market: manufacturers of demining machines offer machines for rent or lease to mine action operators. The first lease agreement was signed by GCS Ukraine, which represents the Swiss-German company GCS, and the international operator Danish Church Aid.

“An important benchmark for us is the updated demining needs figure contained in the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA4) published in February. Compared to the previous assessment, the needs have decreased by almost USD 5 billion. This shows that the work being done by Ukraine and partners in the field of humanitarian demining is yielding results,” said Ihor Bezkaravainyi.