Action Plan for humanitarian demining of agricultural lands was approved at the meeting of the National Mine Action Authority participated by Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Vice Prime Minister - Minister of Economy of Ukraine. 

"We are launching the systematic implementation of the Plan for demining agricultural lands in 9 regions of Ukraine affected by the large-scale invasion, as adopted within the framework of the Interagency Group on Humanitarian Demining. More than 470,854 hectares of the lands are to be surveyed and, if necessary, demined. This is an extremely large area, even if we take into account that the survey results show that much smaller volumes will be directly subject to demining. That is why we have developed clear and transparent criteria for prioritising demining, based on the density of contamination and the economic feasibility of clearing the area. 

Primarily, demining efforts will be focused on low-contaminated lands with perennial plantations or planned for sowing vegetable and melon crops. Also today, an important decision was made to conduct the widest possible information and awareness-raising work among the population about the risks associated with explosive devices, and important decisions were considered that will help speed up humanitarian demining of the territories," said Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Vice Prime Minister - Minister of Economy, Head of the Interagency Group on Humanitarian Demining..

The approved Plan envisages humanitarian demining in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Chernihiv, Cherkasy Oblasts. At the same time, the most economically feasible approach was to focus on demining (humanitarian demining) of priority agricultural lands in Mykolaiv and Cherkasy Oblasts. As a reminder, humanitarian demining has already started in Mykolaiv Oblast.

According to the criteria set out in the Plan, the density of contamination, which affects the time required for surveying and cleaning up the areas, is divided into the following categories:

• Low – areas where there were no hostilities, but there is a possibility of finding unexploded ordnances (UXOs);
• Medium – de-occupied territories that were subject to constant shelling, activity of military formations and where there is a high probability of detecting UXOs; 
• High – areas near the military contact line for which there is available information on installed minefields and the use of remote mining equipment.

Information on agricultural lands in terms of contamination density and economic feasibility categories is prepared by territorial communities and submitted to the Regional Military Administration (RMA).

At the same time, as stated in the decision, following the meeting of the National Mine Action Authority (NMAA), the RMAs must ensure conducting spring fieldwork and prevent the non-use of the demined land plots. 

The meeting also agreed to include a representative of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine in the NMAA.

"The Ministry of Economy, together with other central authorities already represented in the NMAA, is involved in the process of preparing and implementing demining measures. So, we will continue to work together in all sectors to speed up the cleansing of the territory of Ukraine as much as possible," said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

In addition, the meeting of the National Mine Action Authority considered the issue of nostrification (recognition of foreign sapper qualification documents) to ensure the rapid involvement of foreign specialists in demining, monitoring of demining, etc.