All articles tagged with #demining
Iran rejected Emmanuel Macron's proposal for a multinational mission to demine the Strait of Hormuz, saying only Iran can conduct demining under the Islamabad memorandum and warning France not to complicate the issue; the move heightens friction with Western efforts to safeguard the waterway as discussions between the U.S. and Iran in Doha loom amid a fragile ceasefire.
France’s Macron says he’ll back Trump on Iran only after the ceasefire deal is confirmed in writing. The MOU text hasn’t been released to G7 leaders, and Paris would deploy the Charles de Gaulle and allied ships to help demine the Strait of Hormuz within 2–3 days of confirmation, as part of a broader maritime effort with the UK and others; details and timing remain unclear as officials prepare to publish the full terms.
The CBS News piece explains how Ukraine’s TLK-150 underwater mine-sweeping drones, developed by Toloka, have cleared Black Sea mines and could inform U.S. efforts to clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran’s mines have halted much global shipping. It highlights limitations of current U.S. Littoral Combat Ships in minefields and the difficulty of locating mines, while noting Ukraine’s anti-jamming, AI-driven navigation that makes its drones more robust in wartime electronic warfare. Deployment to Hormuz would face procurement and testing hurdles in the U.S., though Zelenskyy said Kyiv is ready to help if asked.
Estonia’s defense minister Hanno Pevkur said Tallinn is open to discussing possible U.S. help in securing the Strait of Hormuz, potentially using Estonia’s demining expertise, but only if a ceasefire is in place and there has been no formal U.S. request yet. The White House has urged allies to assist after Iran attacked tanker traffic, but several partners have declined or shown cautious responses, highlighting ongoing unity challenges within NATO/EU as leaders weigh broader security moves, including Ukraine peace talks in exchanges with Western powers.
Ondas' 4M Defense secured a $30 million multi-year demining contract along the Israel-Syria border, with an initial execution period of up to three years and options for extensions. The project covers about 741 acres in a historically contaminated border region and showcases a technology-driven, autonomous approach to land clearance, aiming to expand Ondas' end-to-end border-security capabilities and serve as a reference for future large-scale demining programs.
A Russian missile strike in Ukraine killed two and injured three workers from the Danish Refugee Council, who were engaged in demining efforts in Chernihiv, amid ongoing tensions and security concerns in the region.
Ukraine has become one of the most heavily mined countries in the world due to Russia's full-scale invasion, with an estimated 174,000 square kilometers of land contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance. The demining challenge is one of the largest since World War II, posing a significant humanitarian and economic impact. The risks of land mines and other explosives remain even after the fighting ends, hindering rebuilding efforts and endangering civilians. Ukraine's demining efforts prioritize critical infrastructure and civilian safety, but the scale of the problem and limited resources make full clearance unfeasible at the moment. The World Bank estimates that it will cost about $37 billion to demine Ukraine.
The Netherlands will supply Ukraine with a thousand chargers for remote demining, as heavily mined Russian defense lines have slowed down Ukraine's counteroffensive to recapture territory. Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren made the announcement during her visit to Kyiv, stating that the chargers can create passageways in engineered barriers. Germany has also expressed its willingness to assist Ukraine in crossing the massive land mine belt.
The Netherlands will supply Ukraine with a thousand chargers for remote demining, as heavily mined Russian defense lines have slowed down Ukraine's counteroffensive to recapture territory seized by Russia. Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren made the announcement during her visit to Kyiv, stating that the chargers can create passageways in engineered barriers. Germany has also expressed its willingness to assist Ukraine in crossing the massive land mine belt.
A high school in Cambodia has been temporarily closed after thousands of pieces of unexploded ordnance were discovered on the campus. The ordnance, including grenades and rocket launcher ammunition, was found during a search for buried landmines before a new building was constructed. The school site was previously an ammunition warehouse during the Khmer Rouge regime, and it was believed that all the ordnance had been removed. However, many more pieces are still believed to be buried, prompting the closure of the school while deminers work to collect the dangerous material. Cambodia has been plagued by landmines and unexploded ordnance since the end of its civil war, resulting in numerous casualties over the years.
Ukrainians are taking on the dangerous task of demining their own land as the country tries to recover from the damage caused by the Russian occupation. Despite over 500,000 items of unexploded ordnance being cleared, nearly 10.7 million people in Ukraine still require mine action services. Farmers like Sergey Teterdinko and Tarasov Roman have been left with no choice but to clear shrapnel and bombs from their land themselves, risking their lives in the process. The lack of assistance from overwhelmed state services has forced them to take matters into their own hands, using drones and metal detectors to remove unexploded devices. However, attempting to remove bombs can result in losing homes and endangering surrounding areas, leaving many Ukrainians facing hidden dangers and the painful loss of their pre-war lives.
Ukrainian military engineers have revealed that Russian soldiers, who previously occupied Ukrainian territory, have left behind a dangerous legacy of land mines and booby traps. These explosives have been hidden in everyday items such as fridges, toys, and even children's books. The widespread deployment of land mines and traps has made Ukraine the most mined country in the world, with over 40% of its territory potentially contaminated. Demining efforts are underway, but the process is painstaking and deadly, requiring sappers to manually clear the area using metal detectors and other equipment. The removal of these explosives could take centuries and cost tens of billions of dollars.
Land mines, unexploded bombs, and artillery shells have turned Ukraine into the most mined country in the world, with an area roughly the size of Florida affected. The situation poses significant challenges for Ukrainian troops and threatens the country's long-term stability. Efforts to remove the mines are ongoing, but it could take close to 757 years and over $37 billion to complete the demining work. Russian forces have employed various tactics, including victim-activated devices and deliberate contamination of farming areas, making the clearance process intricate and dangerous. The direness of the situation may last for generations, and deminers themselves are at risk of injury or death.
Land mines, booby traps, and trip wires are causing severe injuries to Ukrainian troops during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Dense minefields are forcing soldiers to abandon tanks and undertake dangerous demining work. Soldiers use probes, metal detectors, and unconventional methods to locate and clear mines, including identifying booby traps through dead animals and using fiberglass rods instead of metal detectors. Russian troops frequently bury mines with anti-handling devices, targeting soldiers who try to disable trip wires. Plastic mines, known as butterfly or petal mines, are particularly difficult to treat due to the inability to locate plastic shrapnel with traditional methods. Wounds caused by mines are more common than those caused by artillery.
Six explosives experts with Ukraine’s emergency services were killed by Russian shelling while conducting a demining operation in the Kherson region, as air-raid sirens blared throughout much of Ukraine. Russian invading forces continued their assault on Bakhmut, the Ukrainian military reported on May 6, a day after the head of the Russian Wagner mercenary force threatened to pull his fighters out of the besieged Ukrainian city in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine that Russia has been trying to seize for months amid reportedly rising casualties.