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23% of Ukraine’s Land Still Mined as Demining Efforts Push Forward

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Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
Author
23% of Ukraine’s Land Still Mined as Demining Efforts Push Forward
A fragment of a Russian missile is in a demining truck after being removed by State Emergency Service workers from a five-story apartment building in the Pecherskyi district of Kyiv, on November 17, 2024. (Source: Getty Images)

Around 23% of Ukraine’s territory—139,000 square kilometers—remains potentially mined, down from 30% in September 2023, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reported on March 11.

The country has 84 certified demining operators working on the effort, with 225 demining machines, some of which were produced in Ukraine.

To support farmers whose fields have been turned into deadly minefields, the Ukrainian government fully reimburses the cost of demining agricultural land.

Since last year, over $12.77 million has been paid out to farmers who used private operators, with 360 applications already submitted.

The 2024 state budget has allocated $72.3 million for these efforts.

International support remains crucial, with around 50 members of the Mine Action Coalition—including the U.S., Switzerland, the EU, Japan, Norway, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, and Sweden—involved in the demining process.

According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), clearing Ukraine of landmines and unexploded ordnance will cost at least $35.7 million.

For the 2022–2027 period, Ukraine’s partners have committed over $850 million to humanitarian demining projects.

As of January 2024, sappers have cleared or surveyed 35,000 square kilometers—an area larger than the Odesa region, Ukraine’s largest.

Earlier, reports emerged that Ukraine’s long-term mine clearance strategy for 2024-2034 includes €700 million in international funding for equipment purchases.

The event gathered 40 officials from 15 countries, focusing on accelerating demining efforts in Ukraine, one of the most mine-contaminated countries due to Russia’s war of aggression.

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