The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.

pre-order now
Skip to content
Edit post

Foreign partners allocate over $700 million for demining in Ukraine

by Alexander Khrebet April 7, 2024 8:25 PM 2 min read
A view of a landmine area in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on July 10, 2023. (Gian Marco Benedetto/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Foreign partners have allocated over $700 million for demining in Ukraine, the Reintegration Ministry reported on April 7.

The U.S., Switzerland, Norway, EU countries, and Japan are among the key donors. The demining coalition for Ukraine includes about 20 countries.

Nearly a third of Ukraine's territory, totaling around 174,000 square kilometers, has been mined since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Minefields between Ukrainian troops and entrenched Russian positions played a significant role in halting the 2023 counteroffensive and preventing the liberation of occupied territories.

According to the Ukrainian government, the funds are intended for demining projects in Ukraine from 2022 to 2027.

The Ukrainian government reported on April 4 that mine-related explosions had killed 296 civilians and injured 665 others.

It’s hard to count landmines as they are hidden in fields, underneath the soil, in the forests, and the ruins of the cities.

At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia had a stockpile of 26 million landmines —the largest in the world, according to various estimates.

The government will spearhead demining efforts in collaboration with top experts and emergency response services.

Primary coordinators encompass the Sectoral Working Group, comprising donors, and the Mine Action Cluster, restored in March 2024 to serve as a central platform for programmatic coordination among relevant actors.

Russia is covering Ukraine with landmines. Clearing them will be extremely difficult
In March 2022 right after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, a cell phone video apparently taken by a Russian soldier captured two “Zemledeliye” mobile mine-laying systems thought to be stationed in Kharkiv Oblast. Positioned against a drab backdrop of what was once farmland, the “Zemledeli…

News Feed

5:15 PM

Alexander Vindman: Trump repeats past US mistakes with Russia.

Alexander Vindman served as the director of European affairs for the United States National Security Council in 2018-2020, during U.S. President Donald Trump's first administration. The Kyiv Independent's Kate Tsurkan sits down with Vindman to discuss how Washington has historically misjudged Russia, "succumbing to hopes and fears," and why there is no real prospect of peace between Ukraine and Russia now.
12:24 PM

Ukraine receives $400 million tranche from IMF.

The funds represent the latest tranche of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, which will provide Kyiv with $15.6 billion in budget support over four years. With the additional $400 million in funding, the program has now distributed $10.1 billion in financing to Ukraine.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.