There are 56 certified mine action operators in Ukraine - Ministry of Defense

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After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the number of mine action operators increased significantly. As of February 24, 2022, there were only a few of them, and today their number has increased to 56.

According to Censor.NET, citing the Ministry of Defense, this was discussed during a meeting between Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksandr Serhii and Head of the Main Directorate of Mine Action, Civil Protection and Environmental Safety Colonel Ruslan Berehulia with Ambassador Tobias Privitelli, Head of the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining.

As noted, the Ukrainian side thanked Tobias Privitelli for his assistance in demining the territories after the start of Russia's large-scale invasion.

According to Berehula, thanks to the support of foreign partners with modern technologies and investments, Ukraine was able to significantly accelerate the demining of the territories affected by the Russian invasion.

"Our experience in training and certification of sappers is already unique. Thanks to this potential, we will be able to make contaminated areas safe faster after the end of hostilities," he added.

In his turn, Mr. Privitelli confirmed the Geneva International Center's intention to continue its work on finding and attracting international donors and to help standardize mine action.

According to the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Serhiy, Ukraine's cooperation with the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining will reduce the risks to the population from explosive ordnance and contribute to the reconstruction of the affected regions.

Earlier it was reported that since the beginning of Russia's full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine, state mine action operators have inspected and cleared 5308 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory.

Author: Ольга Кошарна