This Swiss NGO is demining Ukraine This Swiss NGO is demining Ukraine

Ukraine is one of the countries with the most mines in the world. As Sky News reports, nearly 40 percent of Ukraine, the size of the UK, is riddled with mines. The Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior describes the country as “the country with the most mines in the world”.

A week ago, Human Rights Watch warned of the massive use of butterfly mines, anti-personnel mines that can be dropped from the air on a large scale and do not need to be buried. Many of these mines were found around the liberated city of Izyum. Russia is primarily responsible for the majority of the butterfly mines found, but the Ukrainian army is also said to have used these explosives.

In early January, Ukrainian authorities warned of the growing threat of anti-personnel mines, particularly in areas formerly controlled by the Russian military. The authorities then released a video:

Cooperation with the local population

Dmijtro and Nadia both work as deminers in the Chernihiv region in the north of the country. These locals were employed and trained by the Swiss Foundation for Mine Clearance (FSD), a Geneva-based NGO. Since last summer they have been hunting for unexploded mines and grenades with their metal detectors.

The FSD is active in many countries, such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Colombia. Most of their employees are now stationed in Ukraine. How do you work? The FSD hires and trains local people who know the terrain well to detect and defuse explosives.

Chernihiv is one of three cities where the NGO is active, along with Kharkiv and Izyum. These cities were liberated at the start of the Ukrainian counter-offensive last September.

Most of the grenades do not explode

Nadia and Dmijtro's work is divided into three categories: minefield clearance, combat zones and a rapid response team. Sometimes they work in demarcated areas. It could also happen that suspicious objects are observed and need to be assessed. If it was a "simple explosive," they could dig it up and bring it back.

The mines in Ukraine are only part of the job. The greatest danger comes from unexploded grenades. Alex van Roy, Deputy Chief of Operations of the FSD, explains:

They can bury themselves underground, but also get stuck in the rubble in urban areas or even in a residential area and explode at any time. "If a grenade is in the ground, you sometimes only see the fin sticking out," the deminers report. You would then have to assess whether the object is still dangerous or not and decide how to proceed.

In winter the ground is frozen and with the snow it is difficult to work effectively on mine clearance. The number of jobs is then limited and the team trains to be able to work better in the spring when the soil can be dug again.

Former military active in the NGO

Dmijtro and Nadia proceed with caution, depending on the potential risk. If the item is rated too dangerous, the locals don't have the experience.

Usually the special team will evacuate the explosive and then transport it to a demolition site where it will be destroyed. If transport is not possible, the explosive is detonated on site. This method is also used by police around the world when a suspicious package shows up at a train station or airport.

Among these specialists are former foreign, often Western, military personnel who have developed their skills over the years. "Some have 15 or 20 years of experience," says Alex van Roy.

Dmijtro explains that he knows all kinds of explosives he encounters. This is a big advantage when it comes to assessing the danger of an unexploded shell: "The first shell I dealt with was a 152mm shell," says Dmijtro.

"I Wasn't Afraid The First Time"

Dmijtro says he was impressed with his first performance, but that's not the case with Nadia. "I was used to it," she says. The beginning of the war was brutal for the woman from Chernihiv. In the first days of the invasion, the city, which lies between the Belarusian border and Kiev, was one of the first to be attacked.

Three months before the attack, Nadia had moved into a brand new apartment with her husband. During the war, several bombs hit her home and blew up the windows in her household: "The shrapnel reached into the refrigerator." She was forced to settle in a basement elsewhere in the city.

Working with local people is a matter of course for the FSD: "They feel involved and are committed to making the place they come from safer," the foundation explains. A feeling of being rooted that is combined with practicality:

They go to tanks to recover the grenades

Dmijtro also works in the high-risk demining team. He inspects buildings, vehicles, old military positions and trenches. Because unexploded grenades are everywhere:

Certain issues are complex. For example, many modern tanks have explosive reactive armor to defend against enemy missiles. This reactive armor explodes outward when a missile is about to hit the tank.

The number of explosives handled varies from week to week. Several dozen explosives can be defused within a week. Sometimes it can take a whole day to dig a single mine.

No mine clearance permit in Russia

Alex van Roy points out that the Swiss Foundation for Demining is neutral and supports all parties that need help. While there is a clear advantage in working with Ukrainians from the region, taking sides as the war unfolds is out of the question.

"We work in Ukraine because Kiev allows us to come to its soil for mine clearance, but we do not take sides," the expert clarifies.

Countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia are still in the demining phase 50 years after the end of the war. The longer the war lasts, the more the Ukrainian soil is affected by mines and duds.