«We will manage by the end of the year»: Mykolaiv region nears completion of 2024 demining plan

Demining machine «Bozhena 5+», photo: «NikVesti»

Since the beginning of 2024, sappers have surveyed 33,000 hectares of potentially mined territories in the Mykolaiv region. In total, according to the plan, 44 thousand hectares should be surveyed this year.

This is stated in the article «NikVesti» «Let's not mislead». Who will demine the Mykolaiv region and when?».

As of November 2024, the rate of demining in the Mykolaiv RMA is assessed as «pretty good», but they emphasize that a distinction should be made between the rate of examination of potentially mined areas and the rate of the demining process itself.

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«What do you mean? The plan approved for the Mykolaiv region is almost 44,000 hectares by 2024. Currently (as of the end of November 2024, note) 33,000 hectares have been surveyed, of which 2,000 hectares have been demined, and another 3,000 hectares are to be demined. The pace at the end of the year is increased. I have an objective hope that we will manage to implement this plan by the end of the year,» said the deputy head of the Mykolaiv RMA, Heorhii Reshetilov.

What the plan for demining the region will be in 2025 is yet to be seen, said Heorhii Reshetilov. This plan should be determined by the National Mine Action Authority.

«That is, he is currently collecting proposals, including from the Mykolaiv region, and then he will approve them with demining plans. Now it is not approved. Information and proposals are being collected, which we also submit. We have proposals — about 29,000 for next year,» said the deputy head of the RMA.

How is the demining of the Mykolaiv region going on?

At the beginning of 2024, Ukraine updated the country's priority demining plan. According to him, it was decided to demine more than 512 thousand hectares of fields as a priority, of which 44 thousand hectares are in the Mykolaiv region.

As of December 2023, 30% of the territory of the Mykolaiv region was mined. In total, it is 754 thousand hectares of land.

At the same time, they are working on demining in the region. For example, as of October 2023, 13 thousand 40 hectares, including 9 thousand 25 hectares of agricultural land, have been demined in the Mykolayiv region.

Dmytro Komarov, the author of the «World Inside Out.Ukraine» project, visited the mined territories of the Mykolaiv region and showed the work of local sappers. NikVesti also told about a farmer from Kyselivka who is trying to demine his fields on his own.

About 30,000-35,000 hectares of land remain mined in the Bashtanka district of the Mykolaiv region, part of which was under occupation. And in the village of Maksymivka of the Pervomaisk community of the Mykolaiv region, locals live with an unexploded shell under the foundation of the house.

In general, the demining situation in Maksymivka is currently critical. A year after liberation from the Russian occupiers, the village was demined by only 40%.

Read also articles by NikVesti:

• «What to do if you find a mine: instructions from rescuers».
• «We didn't wait for them to do it for us»: how Nibulon demined 98% of its fields in Mykolaiv Oblast in just one year.