10 new battalions and 52 demining machines: Ministry of Defence outlines annual mine action progress

In 2024, Ukraine established ten new demining battalions. Furthermore, the fleet of mechanized demining machines has expanded from two units to 52, with 42 currently deployed in the Armed Forces and 10 in the State Special Transport Service. Currently, the fleet primarily consists of foreign-made equipment, including DOK-ING, Bažena, GCS, Hydrema, and Scan Jack, alongside domestically produced MR-3101 machines.

Colonel Ruslan Berehulia, Head of the Main Directorate for Mine Action, Civil Protection, and Environmental Safety at the Ministry of Defence, reported this during the Demine Ukraine Forum. The event brought together approximately 350 participants, including representatives from government, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, businesses, equipment manufacturers, developers of innovative technologies, and humanitarian demining experts.

The main goal was to summarize the outcomes of mine action in 2024 and outline the challenges in mine action for the upcoming year.

“Initial non-technical checks were conducted in 59 territorial communities, identifying 4,219 contaminated or potentially contaminated sites covering a total area of 558 km². Furthermore, during the non-technical checks, 35,000 km² of territory was marked as free of evidence of risks, which led to a reduction in the area of potentially contaminated lands from 174,000 km² to 139,000 km²,” reported Colonel Ruslan Berehulia

On his part, Colonel Oleh Shuvarskyi, Head of the Mine Action Department and Deputy Head of the Main Directorate, invited developers of cutting-edge demining technologies to collaborate and emphasized that the Ministry of Defence is prepared to conduct preliminary trials of innovative projects aimed at enhancing the safety of sappers and improving demining productivity. 

“Our specialists will offer all the necessary practical assistance in organizing and conducting the trials and, if the results are successful, will recommend these projects for certification,” stated Colonel Oleh Shuvarskyi.