Tragic consequences of landmine threats Azerbaijan’s experience and Ukraine’s challenges

In the village of Ashaghi Abdurrahmanli in Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli district, a tragedy occurred on April 14 when an employee of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) was killed after an anti-tank mine detonated. The incident serves as another stark reminder that even after the end of active hostilities, the dangers of war persist, continuing to claim lives long after the fighting has stopped.

The official figures cited by Baku serve as a stark warning: since the end of the Second Karabakh War, 422 Azerbaijani citizens have fallen victim to landmines. Behind these stark statistics lie shattered lives, destroyed hopes, and enduring grief.

Evidently, the landmine threat represents a distinct form of warfare that does not distinguish between soldiers and civilians, knows no ceasefires, and does not obey political agreements. Mines remain in the ground for years and even decades, turning liberated territories into deadly traps. In the case of Azerbaijan, the problem is exacerbated by the scale of contamination and the fact that minefield maps are largely absent, making the work of deminers extremely difficult and dangerous. Every step carries risk, and every mistake can lead to tragedy.

At the same time, it is important to understand that mines are not only a military issue but also a humanitarian, economic, and social one. They slow down the return of internally displaced persons, obstruct infrastructure reconstruction, and hinder the development of agriculture.

For today’s Ukraine, Azerbaijan’s experience is especially relevant, since the two countries are united not only by the fact of external aggression, but also by the use of mines as an element of strategy. According to Ukrainian and international organisations, Ukrainian territory is already among the most heavily mined in the world. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian–Ukrainian war, hundreds of Ukrainian civilians have become victims of mines and unexploded ordnance. Moreover, according to various estimates, the number of injured civilians exceeds one thousand, and this figure continues to grow. A particular danger is posed by the Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions, where the Russian army has left behind a vast number of mines, tripwires, and other explosive devices.

Unlike Azerbaijan, which has restored its territorial integrity, Ukraine is still in a phase of active confrontation. However, it is already clear that the war will end—it is only a question of time and conditions. And when it does, the country will face the same challenge as Azerbaijan: large-scale demining.

This will be an enormous task, since preliminary estimates suggest hundreds of thousands of square kilometres of potentially contaminated territory, and its resolution will take years, and possibly decades. It will require vast financial resources, international assistance, the training of specialists, and the introduction of modern technologies.

Azerbaijan’s experience already allows us to outline three key directions along which Ukraine will have to work after the end of the war. The first is physical reconstruction. Destroyed cities, infrastructure, energy systems, and transport networks will all require large-scale rebuilding.

The second is social adaptation. Millions of people have experienced the trauma of war, and all of them will need support and integration into a peaceful life.

The third is demining. This process will become the foundation for everything else, since without clearing the land of mines, neither construction, nor the return of people, nor economic development is possible.

The death of an employee of ANAMA is a tragedy, but at the same time, it is a reminder of the heroism of those who work daily on the front line of an invisible battlefield. Deminers are people who quite literally bring land back to life. Azerbaijan is paying a high price for the safety of its liberated territories. Ukraine, unfortunately, will also have to go through this path.

The landmine threat is a legacy of war that cannot be ignored. And the sooner systematic efforts to address it begin, the fewer victims there will be in the future. In this regard, Azerbaijan’s experience is not only a story of pain, but also a source of lessons that Ukraine will need to learn in order to minimise the consequences of war and accelerate the return to peaceful life. Because true victory is not only the liberation of villages, cities, and other settlements, but also the ability to make them safe for living.