Global Clearance Solutions Ukraine General Manager Dmytro Salimonov publishes his insights on LIGA.net into solutions for the long-term effects of landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) contaminating swathes of Ukraine.

The scale of the task is formidable. Nevertheless, harnessing new and existing technology in efficient parternships demonstrates that progress can and has been made, as Dmytro indicates:

“During UMAC-2024, participants emphasized the significant progress that Ukraine has made in humanitarian demining. For [the past] two years, the prioritization of plots was carried out, 35 thousand hectares were returned to use, the number of deminers was tripled, a compensation program for demining services for farmers was developed and began to work. It was possible to launch a market for humanitarian demining services with the involvement of private operators, and the first 24 tenders in the Prozorro system were announced.”

Dmytro also underlines GCS’ track record and engagement in the successful clearance programme to date:

“One innovation that has already proven to be effective during this time is the use of heavy demining vehicles that can be controlled remotely and ensure a higher speed of demining and the safety of deminers. One of these vehicles, the GCS-200 platform, was handed over by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation to Ukraine during UMAC-2024. In total, during the year, Switzerland will hand over three demining vehicles, which will be received by pyrotechnic units of the State Emergency Service.”