UN: Ukraine faces over million mines, decades needed for clearance

Ukraine is estimated to have more than a million landmines scattered across its territory, and it could take over a decade to fully deactivate them, Paul Heslop, head of the UNDP Mine Action Program in Ukraine, told The Guardian.

“There are already more than a million mines scattered throughout Ukraine, and Russian troops continue to set traps in some regions during their retreat. We are talking about both anti-tank and anti-personnel mines,” Heslop said.

He also highlighted that numerous unexploded shells, rockets, and grenades remain across several areas, particularly in the buffer zones.

“As we clear the territories, we are seeing a level of complexity and scale that we have simply never seen before,” Heslop added.

Landmines typically contain an explosive charge that detonates when triggered by a victim—whether stepped on, touched, moved, or via a tripwire—and come in various shapes and sizes depending on the intended target. Some small, butterfly-shaped explosives used by Soviet forces in Afghanistan, which continue to harm children, have also been found in previously Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

Recently, Ukraine joined Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in announcing its withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, which limits the use of most types of landmines, citing threats from Russia as justification.

In Ukraine, the situation is further complicated by ongoing demining operations, even as the government considers using mines strategically to deter Russian advances.

“In the context of an asymmetric threat, Ukraine is forced to ensure an adequate level of defence capability,” said Andrii Danyk, who leads Ukraine’s demining efforts. Nevertheless, he emphasized that “humanitarian demining remains one of the priorities of state policy.”

By Tamilla Hasanova