In the field of humanitarian demining, Ukraine will support its own manufacturers of machinery and equipment for humanitarian demining. The state seeks to purchase the necessary equipment for deminers developed and manufactured by domestic companies. And when purchasing foreign equipment, which has no analogues in Ukraine, it negotiates with foreign companies to localise its production in Ukraine. This was stated by Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy, during a presentation of Ukrainian developments for surveying and demining.

The event was attended by American investor and philanthropist Howard Buffett, Programme Manager for Mine Action at UNDP Ukraine Paul Heslop, CEO of Kyiv School of Economics Michael Schneider, representatives of the State Emergency Service, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukrainian manufacturers. The presentation and testing of the products took place in real conditions – on a field in Zhytomyr Oblast that was contaminated as a result of a Russian drone attack.

As mentioned by Yuliia Svyrydenko during a press conference following the demonstration, over 170,000 square kilometers of land in Ukraine are deemed potentially contaminated. According to certain Western assessments, surveying and, if required, clearing and demining this territory with Ukraine's current resources could take hundreds of years. Therefore, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy emphasized that our nation cannot afford to wait for such an extended period.

"We are determined to bring 80% of potentially contaminated areas back into use in 10 years. To do this, we will strengthen the capabilities of operators: we currently have about 3,000 sappers and 29 demining vehicles, and this is definitely not enough. We also need to look for non-standard, innovative approaches. And we are doing that. Back in May, we were looking for remote survey technologies using drones around the world. Three months have passed and we have Ukrainian developments that show results. This is rapid progress and fast movement, which the Government will support. Soon we will present an appropriate support programme – an accelerator for Ukrainian companies that have relevant demining technologies," said Yulia Svyrydenko.

As the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy stressed, defending national industrial patriotism, the Government is also actively working towards localising production and using the world's best demining technologies.

On his part, Paul Heslop, the Programme Manager for Mine Action at UNDP Ukraine, highlighted the extensive tasks involved in demining efforts in Ukraine. He also emphasized the adverse impact of land contamination not only on Ukraine's economy but also on the global economy. According to him, a mere 10-cent increase in the price of bread would compel the poorest African countries to allocate an additional $400 million for food. Hence, the clearance of our country's territory holds immense importance for global food security.

Speaking at the press conference, Howard Buffett also noted the importance of demining Ukraine for the global economy. He reminded that our country is among the top 5 food exporters and owns 25% of the world's black soil. The American investor and philanthropist noted that he was impressed by the Ukrainian developments demonstrated during the presentation and predicted that in the future Ukraine will become a leader in demining innovations.

"We've witnessed what Ukraine has already achieved, showcasing some of the most cutting-edge innovations globally. That's because you have no choice (but to develop, author's note). I'd like to make a prediction: this will catalyze unparalleled innovation in this field. We will see Ukraine leading the world in this field," commented Howard Buffett.

During the presentation, various advancements in survey and demining were showcased. For instance, the Polish-Ukrainian Charity Foundation "Postup" has developed technology enabling a drone equipped with a magnetometer to remotely detect mines, including those hidden underground and underwater. The findings are then analyzed and superimposed onto a map, providing clear locations for deminers to defuse the explosives. This technology has a daily capacity of covering 20 hectares.

UADAMAGE has developed software that is already assisting our sappers in the field. Data collected through different types of drones and equipment is processed by artificial intelligence and integrated into a multi-layered map. This results in pyrotechnics having a comprehensive understanding of the contamination. For instance, during operations in Posad Pokrovskyi in Kherson Oblast, an area of 5 square kilometers was surveyed within just 40 minutes.

Through research and development efforts, the Ukrainian Demining Foundation achieved a remarkable feat by clearing 120 hectares of densely mined farmland in just 14 days, setting an absolute record according to the developers.