Ukraine on the path to demining: 140 thousand square kilometers of mined territories and progress in demining

Ukraine faces an unprecedented challenge - the area of ​​potentially mined territories reaches about 139 thousand square kilometers. This is a huge threat to human safety, economic development and the restoration of agricultural potential. This was announced by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal during the **Demine Ukraine** forum. He noted that more than 70 operators are engaged in demining, including more than 4 thousand sappers, using more than 150 units of special equipment.

According to the Prime Minister, thanks to international support and the use of domestic resources, almost 35.5 thousand square kilometers of Ukrainian territory have already been restored to operation. This indicates the effectiveness of the systematic approach to humanitarian demining, which includes several key areas.

The first area is to conduct surveys of potentially contaminated areas. This allows for the rapid identification of safe lands that can be quickly returned to use, especially for the needs of the agricultural sector. The second direction is the direct clearance of territories from mines and ammunition in areas of confirmed contamination.

The third important aspect is the attraction of international donor assistance. To date, about 50 partner countries have joined the humanitarian demining coalition, which have provided funding in the amount of over $1 billion. This support is critically important for providing the necessary resources and equipment.

Another direction concerns an increase in the number of specialized demining equipment. This helps to significantly accelerate the process of clearing territories. The last, fifth direction is to expand the number of certified mine action operators, including private ones. Over the past year, their number has doubled, which is a significant achievement.

At the same time, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko reported on progress within the framework of the state compensation program for demining. As a result of 31 auctions, deals were concluded for a total amount of almost half a billion hryvnias. At the same time, thanks to the competitive mechanism, it was possible to reduce the initial prices by more than 17%, which provided savings of 90 million hryvnias. The demand for these services among farmers has increased significantly, as confirmed by more than 190 applications.

Ukraine continues to work on a comprehensive cleanup of its lands, involving international partners and using its own resources. This is an important step not only for the safety of citizens, but also for the restoration of the country's economic potential.