Ukraine is one of the world’s largest grain producers. However, in addition to highly fertile black soil, Ukraine’s vast fields also hide countless other things – mines. This Eastern European country is now one of the most heavily mined in the world, and the process of demining with the help of experts is so slow that some farmers are risking their lives to clear their fields themselves.
In a new CEDMO Special Report on Ukraine, compiled by our colleagues at AFP and Bellingcat, you can find out what the demining process often looks like today. You may be surprised by some of the innovative (and dangerous) methods used to collect mines, such as rakes.
“Ukraine has 42 million hectares (103 million acres) of agricultural land. On paper, we can cultivate 32 million hectares. But usable, uncontaminated land not occupied by Russia — (we have) only 24 million hectares,” agriculture minister Vitaliy Koval told AFP.
A fifth of Ukraine’s total territory (123,000 square kilometres, 48,000 square miles) — roughly the size of England — is “potentially contaminated” by mines or explosives, according to government data.
If you are interested in real human stories about what happens when invading troops withdraw from human settlements, read the full version of the second CEDMO Special Report on Ukraine (in English).