Ukraine has cleared over 35,000 square kilometers of land littered with mines since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, the country’s prime minister has said.
Three years into the war, Ukraine remains the world’s most mined country.
In February, Humanity & Inclusion, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning NGO working in conflict zones, said that landmines and unexploded ordnance were scattered on 29% of Ukrainian territory, or 174,000 square kilometers, posing an ongoing threat to millions of civilians.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, a global humanitarian organization, more than 80% of mine victims are civilians.
Given the scale of the problem, Kyiv has made demining one of its top recovery priorities.
Speaking at a government meeting on Friday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said: “Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we have been able to restore over 35,000 square kilometers of our territory to safe use.
“More than 174,000 square kilometers of territory have been affected by the war. Therefore, the government has identified humanitarian demining as one of the key priorities for recovery.”
Among the cleared territory are over 1,000 hectares of agricultural land, Shmyhal said. Such land is crucial as Ukraine heads into its sowing season, with agricultural exports playing a key role in the country’s economy.
Shmyhal added that the demining efforts would continue, with Kyiv planning to expand capabilities.
“Nearly 5,500 personnel, 260 demining vehicles, and 87 mine action operators are actively working to clear mines across the country,” he said.
Ukraine’s Economy Ministry has estimated that demining operations may take over a decade to complete and cost up to $35 billion.
Poland to restart mine production
Meanwhile, countries bordering Russia, including Poland, Finland and the Baltic states, have recently moved to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel landmines, citing growing military threats from Moscow.
Leaving the 1997 treaty, which has been ratified by more than 160 nations but not by Russia, will allow these bordering countries to resume the stockpiling of landmines.
Warsaw has already announced plans to restart the domestic production of anti-personnel mines, citing a “very real and very serious threat” at its frontiers with Belarus and Russia.
