Over 5,000 square kilometers cleared of mines since the start of the war in Ukraine

The event included representatives from the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Reintegration, State Service for Labor Affairs, State Emergency Service, and other agencies involved in mine action.

Participants discussed the implementation of the humanitarian demining plan for de-occupied territories in 2024 and the inspection plan for agricultural lands for explosive objects.

Currently, humanitarian demining is underway at 282 sites covering a total area of 17.5 square kilometers, with 88 sites totaling 7.23 square kilometers already transferred to local communities.

Additionally, 2,059 square kilometers of agricultural land have been surveyed and cleared under the explosive ordnance disposal plan and returned to productive use.

The Ministry of Defense noted that demining efforts at sea were also addressed, with plans to acquire three more demining vessels next year, as only two are currently in operation.

The effectiveness of maritime demining has improved thanks to Germany's donation of specialized equipment for detecting and classifying explosive objects.

As of January 2024, sappers cleared over 24.5% of the de-occupied territory in the Kherson region.

On April 5, Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko, reported that approximately 25% of Ukraine's territory is contaminated with mines and explosive devices due to Russia's full-scale invasion.

Previously, it was reported that 30% of the country's land was mined, an area equivalent to two Austrias, with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and State Emergency Service estimating that complete demining could take up to ten years.