Streamlining humanitarian demining: Ukraine's Cabinet to simplify operator certification

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal made this announcement following a meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Agriculture.

"In this year's state budget, we've allocated UAH 3 billion for humanitarian demining programs for the first time. I've directed the Ministry of Economy and other relevant bodies to finalize a prioritization plan for demining and submit a resolution outlining the procedure for compensating agricultural producers for demining," stated the head of the government.

Shmyhal emphasized the government's goal of making demining services accessible to every agricultural producer.

"To achieve this, the Ministry of Economy, in collaboration with international partners, will design a mechanism that small farmers, in particular, can utilize," he added.

Furthermore, the government is working on a draft resolution to introduce a simplified digital system for operator certification.

"In the upcoming NSDC meeting, we will present the humanitarian demining strategy," Shmyhal concluded.

Background on demining efforts

In March 2023, it was reported that the mined territory in Ukraine is 4.5 times the size of Switzerland.

In August, the Ministry of Economy aimed to demine and return 80% of land to use within a decade.

Ukraine's first domestically-produced soil preparation machine for demining received certification in the same month.

On September 22, Ukraine announced plans to launch a humanitarian demining services market through Prozorro.

By October 31, approximately 178,000 hectares of agricultural land were reclaimed in Ukraine after sapper surveys and demining, surpassing the initial goal of 165,000 hectares.

On November 6, Ukraine received 6 DIGITAL VANGUARD–S robotic systems from Canada for remote defusing of explosive munitions.

Swiss company Global Clearance Solutions (GCS) plans to deliver 60 remote-controlled demining machines to Ukraine by mid-2024.

In January, sappers examined over 21,000 hectares of agricultural land for explosive objects, with a focus on the Kherson region.