Russian mines kill 297 people in Ukraine, including 15 children - State Emergency Service

Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, a spokesman for Ukraine's State Emergency Service, said this at a briefing at the Ukraine Media Center.

"According to the secretariat of the National Mine Action Authority, unfortunately, more than 297 people, including 15 children, have been killed by the explosive ordnance since the beginning of the full-scale Russian aggression. And 669 people were injured, 78 of them children," he said.

"This is the information as of today," the spokesperson clarified.

What is known about demining in Ukraine

In March 2023, the UNDP said that the area of mined territory in Ukraine was 4.5 times the size of Switzerland.

In August, the Ministry of Economy said that it hoped to clear 80% of the land and return it to use in 10 years.

In the same month, Ukraine's first domestically produced demining machine received a certificate of conformity. This development allows for the effective disposal of anti-personnel and detection of anti-tank mines.

On September 22, it became known that Ukraine would launch a market for humanitarian demining services through Prozorro.

In January, sappers inspected over 21,000 hectares of agricultural land for explosives, most of it in the Kherson region.

To accelerate demining in Ukraine, the government introduced a single unified certification procedure for mine action operators at a meeting on February 2.

On February 22, Ukraine unveiled its third domestic demining vehicle.

On February 29, the State Emergency Service announced that 156,000 km² of territory in Ukraine is potentially mined. The most heavily mined areas are the Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson regions.

In early March, it became known that the government would compensate farmers for 80% of demining costs.

On March 29, it became known that Ukraine, together with the American corporation Palantir, is working on the development of a demining system using artificial intelligence. It is to be presented in the summer.

Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko said that Ukraine has limited resources in mine action, including a shortage of demining operators, so it seeks to involve women in this process.