Ukraine, together with international partners, is preparing a pilot project to test the latest technologies in real-world conditions for surveying areas that may be contaminated with explosive ordnance. Following the project, the technologies that demonstrate good results will be used in the humanitarian demining of Ukraine’s territory. This was discussed during a meeting of the Interagency Working Group on Humanitarian Demining on April 3, 2023.

“A very large territory of the country needs to be surveyed and further demined in case of explosive ordnance detection. The action plan for the priority demining of agricultural land alone provides for the survey of more than 470,000 hectares of agricultural land. In order to speed up the process as much as possible, Ukraine needs to attract not only significant financial and traditional technical resources, but also to adopt modern technologies. All the technologies that are available in the world today. Together with our partners, we offer manufacturers who have such technologies to test them in real-world conditions. Technologies that prove their effectiveness will be used in humanitarian demining. In this way, we will be able to significantly speed up the demining process. And the manufacturers will get a positive case study,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko, Head of the Interagency Working Group, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, following the meeting.

During the meeting, the IWG, in particular, supported the decision to identify and approve a suitable site for the project to study the latest technologies of surveying territories for explosive ordnance.

As of today, more than 15 manufacturers from different countries are ready to participate in the pilot project.

In the future, Ukrainian producers may also conduct the relevant tests. As discussed at the IWG meeting, the state is stepping up its work with Ukrainian enterprises that are able and willing to produce the machinery and equipment needed for demining. In the near future, a meeting with manufacturers will be held to discuss the needs of demining operators, the Ministry of Defence, and the State Emergency Service for relevant equipment, the capabilities of manufacturers, and steps for further cooperation.

“In this way, we are mobilising both foreign manufacturers with relevant advanced technologies and Ukrainian ones to demine Ukraine. Our land must be cleared of the consequences of hostilities or strikes on the territories as soon as possible,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

As a reminder, a total of 174,000 square kilometres of Ukraine’s territory are currently in need of survey and demining, being potentially contaminated, subject to survey by technical and non-technical means and, in case of detection of explosive ordnance, requiring humanitarian demining.