GCS commitment to Ukraine now bolstered with on-site presence. Our experts continue to support our humanitarian and government clients with training and operational expertise.

Since the conflict in Ukraine began and the need for rapid, safe clearance of unexploded ordnance and other remnants of war became clear, GCS has responded to the overwhelming need for civilian and economic security. GCS supports Denise Brown, United Nations Humanitarian Co-ordinator and Resident Co-ordinator in Ukraine, who stated at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London in June 2023: “demining is absolutely…the entry point for recovery and reconstruction.”

We know that up to 40% of Ukraine is now contaminated by landmines. About a third of the munitions already used in the conflict remain unexploded, posing an unimaginable risk to civilian life. Ukrainian farmers face the challenge of clearing their fields to provide a harvest this year. Two million hectares of farmland need to be cleared, and while Ukraine bravely remains a net exporter of wheat to the rest of the world, this lost harvest equates to 10 million tonnes of wheat, or 5% of global trade, to the value of 2 billion US dollars. World Food Programme COO and Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau reports that the WFP has had to feed 140,000 Ukrainian farmers affected by the conflict this year.

Fabian Klauser, Head of Service and Maintenance, emphasises GCS’s commitment to customers: “Being on the ground demonstrates not only our dedication, we can also employ years of accumulated experience in creating safe environments. GCS brings a full service experience and a team of experts to support the machines delivered and still to come.”

Johan Coetzee, GCS Head of Operations agrees: “Here we are close to our customers, and so can provide rapid support, be that in operations or service and maintenance. The training we have undertaken since May this year has really paid off. Just last week one of our machines working to clear lethal anti-tank mines hit a landmine boosted with a projectile of between 5 and 7 kilos of explosives and was back in service within half an hour, thanks to the dedicated team of GCS-trained operators.”

GCS is training The State Emergency Service of Ukraine, as well as the Ukrainian police and Ministry of Defence, benefitting from their local knowledge and regional expertise, to operate the first ten of thirty state-of-the-art demining machines which will arrive in country in 2023.

Sources:

“Acclerating Humanitarian Mine Action in Ukraine as a Precondition for Sustainable Economic and Social Recovery”, Ukraine Recovery Conference, London June 2023