$35 Billion Needed for Complete Demining of Ukraine, Says World Bank

Ukraine will require $35 billion to clear its entire territory of mines. The Toni Blair Institute reports, citing the World Bank.

According to a study by the Tony Blair Institute conducted jointly with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, Ukraine loses around $11.2 billion annually due to mines and other explosive devices. This is equivalent to 5.6% of Ukraine’s GDP in 2021. The largest losses are attributed to a decline in agricultural exports and a drop in local tax revenues.

The study shows that Chernihiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Kharkiv regions lost more than 20% of their regional GDP due to mined areas. In total, local authorities are losing more than $1.1 billion in local taxes.

Ukraine is already taking steps towards demining the contaminated territories. First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yuliia Svyrydenko announced that the Ukrainian Government has introduced a compensation program to expedite land clearance for farmers working on agricultural land.

"Currently, 10 auctions have been announced in the Prozorro system for the purchase of services for the demining of agricultural land. The total area of land to be demined is over 3,700 hectares. We expect that in the next two weeks, the auctions will be completed and the first contracts with mine action operators will be signed," stated Yuliia Svyrydenko.

On September 10, Ukraine’s Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, announced that Ukraine would need about 10,000 sappers to clear land contaminated by Russian mines in 5 years.