Instead of arms deliveries: Bundesrat wants to free Ukraine from mines

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Is Switzerland doing enough to help war-torn Ukraine? No, think the western states. No, also thinks the SP. “If the Bundesrat does not want to make any contribution to the re-export of arms, then it must at least provide substantial assistance in demining Ukraine,” says SP party leader Roger Nordmann (50).

International pressure on Switzerland is very high to do more for Ukraine. The Federal Council should therefore not only send demining equipment to Ukraine, but also set up an international program to clear mines and unexploded ordnance.

“An Important Concern”

And indeed, the SP opens the doors to the state government. “The requested support for Ukraine in humanitarian demining is a major concern,” the Federal Council said. And Switzerland has the necessary experience and resources. So far, the Ministry of Defense has conducted mine clearance courses here and in Ukraine.

In addition, the Geneva Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) is launching a three-year project to better coordinate mine clearance in Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also plans a financial contribution to the disposal of explosives in eastern Ukraine.

Switzerland must do more

SP party leader Nordmann is pleased with the openness of the Bundesrat. “Given his previous opposition, for example to the transfer of Swiss weapons, we feared that he would also reject this initiative,” he says. But Switzerland must do more than before.

Nordmann is thinking, for example, of mine clearers from the Digger Foundation in the Bernese Jura, which Switzerland should pass on to the Ukraine. A major advantage of these vehicles is that they can be controlled remotely. “Switzerland can make a valuable contribution here”, he is convinced.

About 160,000 square kilometers are mined

The Digger tracked vehicle is a cross between a tractor and an armored vehicle. The machine weighs twelve tons and has a mine cutter at the front that excavates the ground. It destroys anti-personnel or anti-tank mines by crushing or detonating them.

Experts estimate that about 160,000 square kilometers are being mined in Ukraine – four times the area of ​​Switzerland. However, there are no reliable figures on this. “We now expect all the more that the Federal Council will implement our request ambitiously and efficiently,” emphasizes Nordmann.

Source:Blick