A master class on baking Easter bread from flour from demined Ukrainian fields has been held in Kyiv as part of the "Soul of Soil 2.0" project. The flour for the Easter bread was milled in Mykolaiv from wheat grown in demined fields in Kherson and Mykolaiv Oblasts.

"Soul of Soil 2.0" is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, and the Silpo retail chain. It is aimed at raising awareness of the problem of contamination of Ukrainian territory with landmines and other explosive hazards.

According to First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine is currently the most mine-contaminated country in the world: "With this project, we want to draw attention to the problem of the contamination of Ukrainian land with explosive hazards – 139,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory is potentially mined,” Svyrydenko told participants of the Easter bread making master class in Kyiv. “The goal of this initiative is to show the world the true value of Ukrainian bread.”

She also said that the wheat for the "Soul of Soil 2.0" project was grown in Mala Oleksandrivka and other villages in Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, where sappers demined 1,800 hectares. In total, Ukraine has already returned 35,000 square kilometers of land to use.

“On the cleared fields, farmer Oleksiy Rudenko, together with his nephews, grew wheat, which a Mykolaiv producer milled into flour, and it was from this flour that Easter bread was baked as part of the 'Soul of Soil 2.0' project,” Svyrydenko added.

The master class in Kyiv on baking Easter bread from flour from demined fields was held in a supermarket of the Silpo chain. It was conducted by Ukrainian chef Yevhen Klopotenko, and 35 guests took part. Among them were ambassadors of foreign countries, representatives of international organizations, as well as Ukrainian influencers.

During the master class, the guests were taught how to bake traditional Easter bread, shared their own recipes and cooking secrets, and also learned about flour from the demined fields of Kherson Oblast. All participants received a ready-made Easter bread as a gift.

Kateryna Ohuryaeva, Marketing Director of Silpo, said the chain bakes its own bread every day, and so understands the value of Ukrainian grain – grown despite the war. “With the help of Easter bread making master classes, we want to tell our guests – not through texts and numbers, but through a shared experience – about the true value of bread made from flour from demined fields,” Ohuryaeva said. “Our guests will learn the history of flour, discover baking secrets from famous chefs, and receive a Easter bread as a souvenir that cannot be bought. This is our way of saying to the people who are bringing life back to the de-occupied territories: we know, we appreciate, and we are immensely grateful.”

Similar master classes will be held in five other major cities of Ukraine. The event is being supported by top Ukrainian chefs: Leonid Malyuha in Lviv, Andriy Vorona in Dnipro, Oleksandr Tsepkovsky in Kharkiv, Igor Zrazhevsky in Odesa, and Georgy Asiryan and Yulia Khiznichenko in Mykolaiv. 

Mathias Schmale, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine and Humanitarian Coordinator, in his comments at the master class said the “Soul of Soil” initiative embodies the resilience and spirit of Ukraine. “On the eve of Easter, we must remember that every loaf of bread, every Easter bread on our tables is the result of many stories of courage – the dedication of farmers, the bravery of sappers, and the unwavering support of the international community,” Schmale said. “Our collective demining efforts are not just about restoring land, they are about restoring life and ensuring a future in which Ukrainian land will play an important role in ensuring food security for the whole world.”

Baking Easter bread from flour from the demined fields of Kherson region, which were previously under occupation, is only part of the "Soul of Soil 2.0" project, within which, together with partners, special Easter gift baskets were also created. They contain not only Easter bread, but also Galician Easter eggs, painted by the mother of the deceased paramedic Iryna Tsybukh, as well as towels with embroidered willow branches, created by participants of the social enterprise "My Dear Ones" from the border region of Sumy.

Background:
The war in Ukraine has led to a large number of territories being contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance, which significantly affects agricultural production and food security. UNDP supports the Ukrainian government in all areas of humanitarian mine action, coordinating humanitarian response and international support for mine action.

UNDP advises on the preparation and implementation of national strategies and standards, and also promotes safe returns, reconstruction and recovery through the provision of technical assistance, expertise and specialized equipment. The agency uses innovative technologies such as satellite imagery, remote sensing, artificial intelligence and machine learning to rapidly release land, which significantly reduces the number of potentially dangerous areas and promotes the restoration of agricultural land.

In addition, UNDP strives to improve emergency medical care that can save lives, ongoing rehabilitation, mental health and psychosocial support, which will allow those affected by landmines to lead a full and dignified life.