HALO’s Ukrainian staff have conducted mine clearance in the eastern regions of Kramatorsk and Mariupol since 2015. At the start of the Russian offensive in February 2022 we were embedded in communities and uniquely positioned to respond rapidly to the crisis, coordinating an emergency response, including the delivery of life-saving risk education.
Since Russia's invasion we have built a new clearance operation, initially based near Kyiv, to respond to the urgent humanitarian need caused by mines, cluster bombs and other unexploded dangers. The expansion of our operations now encompasses the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. We also conduct survey operations in Donetsk Oblast and risk education to commmunities in Dnipro and Donetsk Oblasts.
Ukraine is one of the breadbaskets of the world, but the country’s agricultural land has been decimated by mines and explosives. There have been estimates that up to 2 million landmines may have been laid since February 2022. Making land safe is fundamental to save lives and support Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction and economic recovery.
Our Work
Teaching people how to stay safe
Clearing landmines & explosives
Surveying for explosives
Research & development
HALO’s work always starts with mine risk education and non-technical survey, which work as an immediate emergency response and a way to collect data about the type, scale and density of contamination in every settlement affected by the war. Non-technical survey is then followed by actual clearance, both manual and mechanical, from landmines and other ordnance.
Over the last two years HALO's Ukraine programme has also become a centre of excellence for research and development with the aim of making our work safer, quicker and more efficient.
Since the full-scale invasion, HALO has multiplied its efforts to address the vast amount of explosive contamination, employing over 1,400 Ukrainian staff, nearly 30 per cent of whom are women. We are now the largest international mine action organisation in the country. With fleet, logistics and manpower already in place, HALO has been able to move rapidly in response to changes in the conflict thanks to the flexibility and extent of donor support. HALO also benefits from six previous years of strong links to the Ukrainian authorities and local communities and we continue to work in close collaboration today.
“Our family is all about public catering, and my big dream was always to become a chef in my own restaurant. With HALO, though, I realised that demining is actually much more important these days. Safety of all country is the first priority for me now”.
Evolving Operations
Mine clearance operations in Ukraine are intricate and challenging, with new explosive threats creating an extremely complex situation. In Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions, over 70 per cent of minefields or battle areas assessed by HALO for clearance contain tripwire devices, magnetic influence mines (which can be activated by the presence of metallic objects and a change in the magnetic field around the mine), or seismic mines (activated by vibrations in the earth). In response, HALO Ukraine is transforming the approach to land preparation and clearance using advanced survey techniques and the targeted deployment of mechanical clearance assets.
Drones are increasngly important. They are effective for quick and safe survey of territories and are now used in survey and clearance operations. HALO Ukraine has also started to use satellite photos of war-affected areas that are being analysed by the AI in terms of the potential mine threat.
In 2024 HALO was the first international operator to be secure authorisation to use explosives to destroy items in situ. This important development allows HALO Ukraine to conduct full-cycle demining, making our work faster and more effective.
Thanks to the support of a number of donors, we are intensively trialing of new machinery and processes so we can clear land more efficiently and safely.
OUR IMPACT
“Completing the cycle gives you a special satisfaction from explosive ordnance disposal. While our survey and clearance teams are keen to find an item, we are the people sent to destroy it. After we’ve done our work, it’s gone.”
Our operations have achieved significant milestones since 2022, with over 5.2 million square metres of land released for safe use, including vital agricultural areas, essential for food security. Ukraine is typically responsible for six per cent of all calories traded on the global market, and prior to the war, along with Russia, accounted for a quarter of global wheat and grains exports and 80 per cent of sunflower oil exports.
Our comprehensive approach has also seen the clearance of over 28,000 mines and explosives and the execution of 2,000 Explosive Ordnance Disposal callouts, underscoring our commitment to making Ukraine safer for its people. Through our extensive survey efforts, we have evaluated explosive hazards in over 2,000 communities, declaring nearly half of them as safe to inhabit again.
In order to keep people safe from the mines and explosives, especially in newly liberated areas, HALO has also been running risk education sessions, in-person, online and via targeted social media campaigns. This year there has also been launched mine awareness e-course on the biggest educational online platform in Ukraine. Nearly 275,000 people have attended in-person and online sessions and HALO social media campaigns about explosives have had over 34 million views since February 2022.
Two and a half years on from the invasion, we continue our commitment to saving lives and restoring livelihoods in Ukraine.
CBS 60 Minutes
As seen on CBS 60 Minutes, uncover the critical work being done to rid the world of landmines and explosive remnants of war. Learn how HALO's efforts are saving lives and how you can help pave the way for a landmine-free future.
