Global Clearance Solutions AG (GCS) has officially opened its first Service and Maintenance Centre in Ukraine, strengthening local support for humanitarian demining operations and reducing downtime for deployed mechanical clearance systems.

The opening took place in early April to coincide with International Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action Day and brought together representatives from Ukrainian authorities, international partners, civil society, media and mine action specialists. Discussions focused on localisation, public-private cooperation and technical capacity as critical enablers for accelerating clearance efforts.

Ukraine remains the most heavily mine?affected country globally. An estimated 139,000 square kilometres of land are contaminated by landmines and other explosive remnants of war, constraining agricultural production, infrastructure repair and safe civilian access. The economic impact of contamination is estimated at USD 11.2 billion per year, while only around 20,000 square kilometres have been cleared to date.

Within this context, the availability and operational readiness of mechanical demining equipment is a decisive factor. The newly opened GCS Service and Maintenance Centre is designed to reduce repair and turnaround times by several weeks, allowing systems to return to operations faster and increasing effective clearance output.

Dmytro Salimonov, General Manager GCS Ukraine, said at the opening:

"Accelerating demining requires close coordination between government, international partners, operators and industry. The launch of this service centre is a concrete step in our localisation effort and builds on the memorandum of cooperation signed with the Ministry of Economy in October 2024."

Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, highlighted the relevance of local technical capacity:

"Demining machinery must return to the field quickly after damage or breakdowns. Local service facilities make this possible and at the same time contribute to employment and economic activity in Ukraine."

The event also addressed recent developments in operational models, including the rental of specialised demining equipment, introduced in 2025 to improve utilisation rates and ensure that machinery is deployed where it is most urgently needed.

Guests visited the new facility and observed a GCS-200 mechanical demining platform in operation. Technical briefings were delivered by Lourie Venter, alongside an awareness session by the GCS Provincial Explosive Awareness Reporting (PEAR) team, focusing on public risks posed by mines and unexploded ordnance.

The opening of the Service and Maintenance Centre represents a further step in GCS's long-term engagement in Ukraine, combining operational delivery, local technical capacity and sustained support to enable safer access to land and support economic recovery.