April 22, 2026

Approximately 128,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory remain potentially contaminated by mines and other explosive remnants of war. This is almost one-third of the country’s total area.

According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, the scale of contamination makes Ukraine one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.

The largest areas requiring survey and demining are located in the Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Mykolaiv regions. The situation remains particularly complicated in territories that were occupied or affected by intense fighting.

At the same time, Ukraine is gradually increasing the pace of humanitarian demining. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, tens of thousands of square kilometers have already been surveyed and cleared, allowing agricultural activities, infrastructure restoration, and the return of civilians to previously dangerous areas.

However, the process remains extremely resource-intensive.

Ukraine needs modern demining equipment, trained specialists, protective gear, and advanced technologies capable of accelerating the survey and clearance of contaminated territory.

The involvement of international partners and private mine-action operators is therefore becoming increasingly important.

The use of mechanical demining machines, drones, remote sensing, and other technological solutions makes it possible to reduce risks to personnel and increase the productivity of clearance operations.

At the same time, experts emphasize that humanitarian demining cannot be separated from the broader security situation. In areas close to the front line, previously cleared territory may become contaminated again as a result of renewed hostilities.

This means that Ukraine will face the consequences of explosive contamination long after the end of active combat.

The scale of the challenge is enormous. Clearing 128,000 square kilometers will require years of systematic work, substantial international assistance, and the continued development of Ukraine’s national mine-action capabilities.

Humanitarian demining is therefore not simply a technical task. It is a prerequisite for the safe return of people, the restoration of agriculture and infrastructure, and the long-term economic recovery of Ukraine.

128,000 sq km in Ukraine remain potentially mined: demining could take years