Last year, Ukraine revoked the status of a dangerous territory for a total area of 18,000 square kilometers after conducting an inspection for the presence of explosives, Deputy Minister of Economy Ihor Bezkaravayny, who is responsible for coordinating humanitarian demining, announced.
“174 thousand square kilometers is a territory that can potentially be dangerous and beyond our control. This is an area where hostilities are ongoing or taking place. Over the past year, we have conducted a survey and removed the status of a dangerous territory from 18 thousand square kilometers,” Bezkaravayny noted.
He noted that after the end of the war, it is planned to survey a certain territory, including Crimea or the border with the Russian Federation, for 10 years. Most of this territory (80%) should be returned to productive use, but it is likely that the remaining 20% will remain contaminated with explosive objects.
“Most likely, 20% will remain contaminated, and this part will have to be demined for a very long time and carefully. Every square meter, every square centimeter will need to be sifted through a sieve and inspected with a probe,” the deputy minister explained.
Bezkaravayny also noted that the new National Mine Action Strategy, presented by the Ministry of Economy in December, aims to reduce the impact of explosive devices on people and economic activity.
“Our goal is not to find and remove all mines from the ground. We seek to reduce the impact of these mines on people’s lives and the economy. Within 10 years, we plan to return 80% of the territories currently considered potentially dangerous to productive use,” he added.
The Deputy Minister also reported that the Ministry of Economy is developing a compensation program for farmers who independently financed the survey and demining of their lands. 3 billion hryvnias are allocated for this purpose in the state budget for 2024.
