Global Clearance Solutions AG (GCS) has hosted a working delegation from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) at its headquarters in Freienbach, Switzerland, followed by a visit to its production facility in Stockach, Germany.

The visit formed part of the ongoing operational cooperation between GCS and SESU and provided an opportunity to review current demining activities, system performance and future technical integration.

The SESU delegation included Colonel Andriy Khyzhnyak, Head of the Main Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Poltava Region, Colonel Serhii Oliinyk, Head of the Department for the Organisation of Special Demining Works with responsibility for the implementation of innovative technologies, Lieutenant Colonel Mykola Podoliaka, and Lieutenant Ruslan Grekov.

The delegation was received by Philipp von Michaelis, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Global Clearance Solutions, who reiterated GCS's long-term commitment to supporting SESU operations in Ukraine.

Discussions covered ongoing cooperation projects, including Switzerland's humanitarian demining support package, announced at the Ukraine Mine Action Conference in Lausanne in October 2024. The package includes three GCS?200 mechanical demining platforms, associated tools, operator training, and service and maintenance support over a three-year period. The first SESU operators trained under the programme graduated earlier this year and are already conducting clearance operations using the delivered systems.

At the production facility in Stockach, the delegation received a guided technical tour and hands-on demonstrations of GCS mechanical demining platforms, including remote-controlled operation designed to enhance operator safety and system reliability.

Colonel Serhii Oliinyk noted the operational availability of deployed systems, stating that all GCS machines delivered to SESU remain in active use. Since deployment, eleven systems have sustained damage and been returned to service, including one platform affected by an anti-tank mine. Discussions also addressed optimisation of repair processes to minimise downtime.

Philipp von Michaelis emphasised that operational success is measured by sustained field availability, with each deployed system capable of clearing up to the area of a football pitch per day, depending on conditions.

Colonel Andriy Khyzhnyak highlighted the operational impact of mechanical demining, noting that the effective deployment of GCS?200 robotic systems has enabled SESU pyrotechnic units to increase annual clearance output to approximately 850 hectares.

Dmytro Salimonov, General Manager GCS Ukraine, accompanied the delegation and commented on future development priorities:

"The focus now is on deeper technological integration. Combining mechanical systems with drone reconnaissance, camera systems and jamming capabilities enables operators to manage clearance operations more effectively from a single control environment. In parallel, we are continuing to build local capacity and assess opportunities to localise production to reduce delivery times for machines and spare parts."

The visit underlined the operational depth of the GCS-SESU partnership and the shared objective of sustaining and scaling mechanical demining capacity in Ukraine through coordinated technology, training and long-term support.