Journalist Victoria Pokatilova prepared an in-depth feature for DW Media on our factory-to-field demining solutions. In the report (in Ukrainian), Global Clearance Solutions Ukraine’s team can be seen working tirelessly toward one goal: clearing land of mines and the remnants of war to build a safer future for civilians.

GCS Ukraine General Manager Dmytro Salimonov highlights how vital mine clearance is not only for safety but also for driving economic growth and stability in the country. "Right now, 139,000 square kilometers of land in Ukraine are contaminated with mines. Each year, Ukraine loses nearly 6% of its GDP — about $11.6 billion— due to mined agricultural land."

Also featured is Nataliia Kolodiazhna, commander of the GCS Ukraine humanitarian demining team: "An individual deminer can clear 10 – 100 m² of land per day. Using machines, this increases to 500 m² or even more than a hectare."

Mechanised mine clearance is not only faster, it is also significantly safer. For example, the GCS-200 multifunctional platform can clear up to 12,000 m² a day. Kolodiayhna continues: “That’s why we’re focused on increasing the number of machines and expanding our operations in Ukraine.”

Mark Frankish, an international specialist who joined the GCS Ukraine team last autumn as Operations Manager, concludes: "Clearing the remnants of war will take decades of systematic demining. For me, the biggest challenge in Ukraine is the sheer scale of the problem."

Watch the video and find out more here: Demining ten times faster – DW – 18.12.2024

Video credits: DW media