Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation have assisted four engineering unmanned systems companies of the Armed Forces Support as part of a joint project “We live here 2.0”. The deminers received the essentials: robotic platforms, vehicles, communications, power, and drones for remote demining. The total value of the aid provided to the military has so far amounted to about UAH 100 million. The initiative was implemented with the information support of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.

 The “We Live Here 2.0” project has accumulated over UAH 106 million, exceeding the initial fundraising goal, and will enable purchasing additional equipment for military engineers to ensure that demining in Ukraine is safer and less life-threatening.

  “Kyivstar, being a socially responsible business, has a mission to preserve Ukraine and aid people. That is why, jointly with the Come Back Alive Foundation, we have completed the second project to demine Ukrainian land. This time, we are handing over modern equipment that will help deminers clear our land faster and safer, and most importantly, save the lives of our military. I salute everyone who supported this project because indeed, We live here”, commented Oleksandr Komarov, Kyivstar CEO.

 Within the “We Live Here 2.0” demining initiative, deminers of the 808th Dnister Separate Support Brigade, 47th Separate Engineering Brigade, 49th Separate Barrier Brigade of the Armed Forces Support and 70th Separate Support Brigade received the equipment. 

“We aimed at creating a comprehensive ecosystem that will be more or less self-sufficient, and complement the equipment and property that the military receive from the state and will be universal in the context of means that may be received in the future from the state or from partners”, notes Taras Chmut, Come Back Alive Foundation Director.

Each brigade received Ukrainian-manufactured equipment: 16 TARGAN robotic platforms, 8 TerMITs, and 4 Vampire drones. In addition, deminers from each unit received: 7 pickup trucks, 4 trailers, 25 radio stations, 24 UAVs of various types, a maintenance workshop, a backup power supply, etc.

“It is due to the work of deminers, the partner`s support, coordinated work within the state, and initiatives such as We Live Here 2.0 that we have made significant progress in demining.  The number of demining vehicles has increased to 225, 84 operators have been certified, and 44 more are soon to be. We have launched a market of humanitarian demining. Thanks to these efforts, financial needs have been reduced by almost $5 billion - from $34 to $29.8 billion, according to RDNA4. But despite the progress, Ukraine is still the most potentially mined country in the world. 23% of the territory, or 139 thousand square kilometers, must be surveyed. Two-thirds of it is agricultural land. There is still a lot to be done, so I am grateful for such initiatives as We Live Here 2.0”, mentioned First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko.

The funds were raised by caring Ukrainians, mobile subscribers, and socially responsible businesses. In particular, almost UAH 35 million was raised thanks to subscribers who activated the “Help the Armed Forces” Super Power or SMS subscription. To support the fundraising and the military, Kyivstar also made a charitable donation in the amount of UAH 50 million.

 “A year of war means ten years of demining. With the help of these various systems that are being delivered to us, we will be able to shorten the terms a little so that people can return to their homes sooner. In general, the main task of creating, transferring, and purchasing such robotic systems is to save a life, not only of the deminer but also of the soldier”, noted Ilya Mushko, a soldier of the 47th Separate Engineering Brigade of the Armed Forces Support. 

 Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation keep on developing robotic complexes for the military and currently collect donations for a new joint project called ”We live here: a school of ground drone operators”.