Ukraine urges international support in landmine clearance efforts at Swiss conference

At the annual Ukraine Mine Action Conference, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal urged the international community to increase support for demining efforts, during his address in Lausanne, Switzerland on Oct. 17.

The conference, which is taking place from Oct. 17-18, aims to receive financial backing for demining projects from officials of over 50 countries in attendance.

The estimated cost for demining is $34.6 billion, according to a World Bank study, and clearing these areas is crucial for restoring agricultural production and enabling millions of displaced Ukrainians to return.

"The scale of this challenge is truly massive," Shmyhal said, and highlighted the need for training 10,000 deminers and developing machines that can speed up the process.

Mock-up scenarios are being shown to attendees to illustrate the risks posed by mines, and new demining technologies, such as AI-powered drones and remote-controlled machines, are being showcased.

Ukraine also remains the world’s most mined country. The country's Defense Ministry specialists have cleared 30,000 square kilometers of mines over the past two years – an area comparable to the size of Belgium or Moldova.

399 civilians have been killed and 915 have been injured by mines since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, according to U.N. monitors.

Since 2022, approximately 174,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land have been contaminated with explosives, making 144,000 square kilometers still potentially dangerous.

Zelensky arrives in Brussels to pitch Ukraine’s victory plan to European Council

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Brussels on Oct. 17 to present his five-point victory plan to the European Council and meet its president, Charles Michel.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

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