Ukraine's pyrotechnic units of the State Emergency Service are set to receive new demining equipment from Switzerland, as announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a government meeting. This support aims to bolster Ukraine's efforts to survey and clear mined territories, with an ambitious goal to examine the vast majority of potentially mined areas by 2033.
Shmyhal highlighted that so far, 35,000 square meters of Ukrainian land have been returned to use after demining operations. The delivery of new equipment, including the first specialized GCS-200 machine handed over during a conference in Lausanne, is expected to accelerate these efforts.
"The government team worked actively in Switzerland and Finland. More than 60 countries and international organizations joined the conference on mine action held in Lausanne. As a result, we received about $70 million in additional announced aid from Canada, Norway, Luxembourg, and Latvia. New demining equipment will arrive from Switzerland for the State Emergency Service's pyrotechnic units," Shmyhal stated.
International Support and Cooperation
Ukraine participated in the international conference on mine action, where over 60 countries and organizations collaborated to address the challenges of landmine contamination. The conference resulted in approximately $70 million in additional aid, enhancing Ukraine's capacity for demining activities.
Shmyhal also noted that Ukraine has agreed with Great Britain and Switzerland to launch a pilot project prioritizing humanitarian demining in the Kharkiv region. This initiative is expected to serve as a model for demining efforts in other affected areas.
"We have already returned 35,000 square meters of our land to use. We aim to speed up the pace of work many times over. Our ambitious goal is to survey the absolute majority of potentially mined territories by 2033," Shmyhal added.
Funding and Future Plans
The Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Yulia Svyrydenko, has stated that an estimated $34 billion is required for comprehensive surveying and demining operations across the country. The government is actively working on reducing costs and introducing innovative financing methods, such as issuing thematic bonds, to support these efforts.
