Clearing the Path to Safety: Norwegian People's Aid Demining Efforts in Ukraine
Since 2014, Ukraine has been heavily impacted by armed conflict, notably after Russia's annexation of Crimea. The situation escalated significantly on February 24, 2022, when Russia launched a large-scale military operation targeting Ukraine’s eastern, southern, and central regions. The invasion has been marked by widespread use of explosive weapons, including landmines, cluster munitions, and aerial bombings, posing a severe threat to civilian lives.
Text: Sean Sutton
While a comprehensive, wide-scale assessment of the explosive ordnance contamination in Ukraine has yet to be conducted, initial reports suggest that the size of mine contamination is “massive.” Likewise, the remnants of cluster munitions are estimated to pose a “large” humanitarian risk. As the conflict progresses, the need for demining operations to prevent casualties and restore safety to communities has become increasingly urgent.
Recognizing the dire situation, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) deployed to Ukraine in May 2022 to establish a comprehensive mine action program. NPA’s mission has been to alleviate the suffering of civilians caused by landmines, cluster munitions, and other explosive ordnance. From the outset, NPA focused on supporting the State Emergency Services of Ukraine (SESU), the country’s primary mine action operator, while simultaneously building its own demining capacities.
NPA’s support to SESU has come in many forms, including equipping 20 demining teams and delivering six highly trained mine-detection dogs to assist in humanitarian demining operations. NPA has also provided ongoing training for these dogs and their handlers, aiming to increase the efficiency of demining operations throughout the country.
Expanded Operations and Increased Capacity
By February 2023, following a successful process of legal registration and accreditation, NPA began implementing its own demining operations. Its mine action program now boasts:
- 17 non-technical survey teams operating in Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions to conduct explosive ordnance risk education and assessments.
- 19 manual clearance teams in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions tasked with technical survey and landmine clearance.
- 8 mine-detection dogs and their handlers working in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions to aid in the technical survey and clearance of explosive ordnance.
- 8 mechanical assets, including four demining machines and four vegetation cutters, deployed in Mykolaiv and Kherson to support clearance efforts.
In April 2024, NPA received formal accreditation for the use of mechanical assets in demining operations, significantly enhancing the program’s efficiency. NPA’s operational staff have already reported a notable increase in productivity following the deployment of these machines. This accreditation comes in addition to previous authorizations received in 2023 for manual technical survey and clearance operations and the use of mine-detection dogs.
NPA now stands as the only international organization in Ukraine accredited for the full range of demining tools—manual demining teams, mine-detection dogs, and mechanical assets—making it uniquely positioned to address the widespread contamination of landmines and other explosive devices.
Key Milestones in the Demining Efforts
NPA’s commitment to improving safety in Ukraine has led to several important milestones, including:
- Establishment of a country office in Kyiv in August 2022 to coordinate operations.
- The equipping of 20 SESU EOD/demining teams with technical and safety equipment, helping SESU personnel conduct safer, more effective operations.
- Deployment of 14 mine-detection dogs, with six provided to SESU and eight used in NPA’s operations.
- Training and operational deployment of 16 non-technical survey teams by February 2023, with an additional team added in early 2024.
- Training of 16 multi-task clearance teams from March to September 2023, all of which were deployed by October 2023.
- Expansion of NPA’s demining operations to include Kherson region, where the teams began technical surveys and clearance in June 2024.
A Safer Future for Ukraine
With field offices in Sumy and Mykolaiv and ongoing operations in the Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Sumy regions, NPA remains at the forefront of demining efforts in Ukraine. The organization continues to build upon its existing capabilities, enhancing its use of technology, canine detection, and mechanical equipment to ensure a safer environment for Ukrainian civilians.
By the end of 2024, NPA will have expanded its operational footprint and solidified its status as the leading international organization for humanitarian demining in Ukraine. Through these efforts, they aim to protect lives, restore access to critical infrastructure, and pave the way for recovery and peace in a war-torn nation.