The Ministry of Defence is revising its strategy for informing the public about the risks of explosive ordnance

The Ministry of Defence is developing an enhanced national standard for raising public awareness about the risks posed by explosive ordnance (EO).

The existing standard has significantly reduced EO-related incidents among civilians since the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion. However, as contamination patterns in Ukraine have changed, there is a growing need to enhance public awareness methods.

“Experts from all stakeholder organizations engaged in public information efforts were brought in to contribute to the new standard. This will help identify the most effective practical solutions to enhance the impact of information campaigns integrated with demining and land clearance efforts across Ukraine, and will significantly reduce the number of EO-related incidents within the general public,” said Colonel Yevhenii Zubarevskyi, Head of the Mine Action Organization Department — Deputy Head of the Mine Action Directorate of the Main Directorate of Mine Action, Civil Protection, and Environmental Safety.

The draft standard comprises eight sections, each developed by a dedicated team of experts. Proposals and comments will be reviewed by the co-chairs of the initiative group from the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, and UNICEF Ukraine. Subsequently, the document will be submitted to the technical committee for review.

Reference information

Since February 2022, mine action operators have reached over 1,700,000 individuals and conducted 69,514 awareness sessions. These efforts reduced EO-related incidents from 401 civilian casualties in 2023 to 149 in 2024 —a nearly threefold decrease.