Ukraine looks to withdraw from a major international treaty on anti-personnel landmines to bolster its defense on the battlefield, where its troops are trying to hold off Russia's intensifying offensive. President Volodymyr Zelensky, on June 29, had requested that Ukraine withdraw from the 1997 Ottawa Treaty that banned the production
"Russia is not a party to this Convention and is massively using mines against our military and civilians," lawmaker Roman Kostenko, secretary of the parliament's defense committee, said in a post on Facebook.
The vote aligns Finland with its Baltic allies, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, whose parliaments have already approved similar exits from the treaty.
The denunciation of the convention will take effect six months after the decision is made.
Garrett, 42, from the Isle of Man, was widely known for his high-risk volunteer work removing mines and unexploded ordnance left behind by Russian forces.
About 800 million euros ($905 million) will be allocated for the acquisition and installation of anti-tank mines to deter potential aggression.
The following is the April 29, 2025 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. The following is an excerpt from our latest investigation by investigative reporter Alisa Yurchenko. On March 29, the
On March 29, the sanctioned Russia-flagged vessel Sv. Nikolay quietly docked at the Algerian port of Annaba near the coal terminal, waiting to be unloaded. The metallurgical coke the ship was carrying — a key ingredient in steelmaking produced from coal — had been stolen. The Kyiv Independent traced the vessel’s
Over 35,000 square kilometers of previously mined territory have been cleared since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said during a government meeting on April 4.
The project aims to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian demining, test innovations, and share experiences between Ukrainian and international partners, the Defense Ministry's statement read.
AI company Safe Pro Group has signed a multi-year agreement with Ukrainian agricultural company Nibulon to deploy AI-powered drones for detecting landmines in farmland, BusinessWire reported on Jan. 31.
Editor’s Note: This story was sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine. When a sapper with the call sign "Boroda" asked his friends, the founders of the Rovertech company, to create something for demining, and provided them with his own sketch, they seized on the idea.
The package will include Stinger missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, drones, and landmines, among other equipment.
Washington is now concerned about Russia's rapid advance in eastern Ukraine and sees the need to halt it.
At the annual Ukraine Mine Action Conference in Switzerland, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal urged the international community to increase support for demining efforts, during his address on Oct. 17.
Pyrotechnic teams from Ukraine's State Emergency Service have detected and disposed of over 533,200 pieces of explosive ordnance since Russia's full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022.
Three people were injured due to a tripwire mine detonation as they were trying to evacuate in the village of Starytsia, Kharkiv Oblast, on July 12, the local Prosecutor's Office reported.
A family car hit a Russian mine while driving through a forest in Kharkiv Oblast, killing at least four people including a child on July 7, according to Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
Japan’s foreign minister announced a collaborative initiative with Cambodia on July 6 to share land mine removal knowledge and technology with countries worldwide, including Ukraine.
Under the Turkish-led deal, the three countries will oversee efforts to clear mines that have been drifting in the Black Sea since the start of Russia's all-out war. Other NATO members are not involved in the initiative.
Ukrainian Colonel Ruslan Berehulia, head of the Ministry of Defense's Environmental Safety and Mine Action Department, reported that Defense Ministry specialists have cleared 30,000 square kilometers of Ukraine over the past two years - an area comparable to the size of Belgium or Moldova.
Ukraine will launch a state register for areas contaminated with explosives, according to a report from the Economy Ministry.
VOVCHANSK, KHARKIV OBLAST – The glide bombs arrive in groups of three. Their flight can be heard from far away, but only in the last second before impact is it clear where it will hit. The explosions, orders of magnitude more powerful than regular artillery shells, shake the ground where the
Two energy workers and an elderly man were injured by explosive ordnances in Chernihiv and Kharkiv oblasts, regional authorities reported early on April 15.
The mine exploded in the north of Rivne Oblast, near the border with Belarus, according to Rivne Oblast Governor Oleksandr Koval.
Ukraine has received over $700 million for humanitarian demining projects for 2022-2027 from foreign partners, the Economy Ministry announced on April 4, observed as International Mine Risk Education and Assistance Day.
Explosions in Kherson Oblast caused by mines killed one man and injured another, regional officials reported on March 27.
Explosions caused by mines killed a farmer in Kherson Oblast and wounded another farmer in Kharkiv Oblast, regional officials reported on March 19.
Greece has recently joined the Lithuania-led coalition to assist Ukraine with demining efforts, Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said on March 15.
Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said that only 1/3rd of the territory in Kherson Oblast liberated from Russian occupation has been surveyed. More than 150,000 mines or other explosives were discovered in this area alone, he added.
An agreement has been reached with U.S. tech company Palantir to employ artificial intelligence in Ukraine's demining efforts, the Economy Ministry reported on March 3.
Over 270 Ukrainians, including 14 children, have been killed by mines and other explosives since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, an official within Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said on Feb. 29.
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