This story was produced in partnership with Agence France-Presse (AFP).
In a discipline close to the small city of Bezymenne in southern Ukraine, Viktoria Shynkar rigorously picks out a slender path by way of the overgrown grass in entrance of her.
This small hall of farmland in Mykolaiv Oblast can be checked for the presence of landmines and explosive ordnance.
If clear, Shynkar – a 36-year-old who labored as a hairdresser earlier than Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 – will transfer ahead and create one other house of the identical dimension.
Whereas she enjoys spending her days exterior, it stays painstaking and harmful work.
Shynkar and her colleagues, who work for the demining charity the Halo Belief, uncovered 243 TM-62 Soviet-designed anti-tank mines left by the Russian military in a neighbouring discipline.
A chunky and intimidating 32-centimetres in diameter and 13-cm-wide, the TM-62 accommodates 7.5 kilos of TNT and may puncture a tank if triggered.
The presence of landmines and different unexploded ordnance is a big challenge in Ukraine, impacting civilians and Ukraine’s agricultural business – a significant employer and supply of revenue to the nation.
Knowledge Challenges
Quite a few our bodies have sought to calculate the impression of landmines on Ukraine for the reason that onset of Russia’s full invasion.
Established by the Ministry of Defence, the nation’s Nationwide Mine Motion Centre (NMAC) has produced a map that highlights areas it confirms as hazardous, are suspected of being hazardous in addition to these which were cleared or checked for hazards. It may be seen right here and within the picture under.
The data is collated from over 80 demining teams working within the nation, which make use of folks like Shynkar. They acquire knowledge from the sphere and share it with the NMAC who add it to this map made utilizing the IMSMA platform produced by the Geneva Worldwide Centre for Humanitarian Demining.
But the info the NMAC map accommodates, whereas vital, is simply partial.
For instance, it solely creates an image for the Ukrainian facet of the entrance line, and simply components of it at that, with an space 20 kilometres from the frontline inaccessible to demining teams. Those self same demining teams are additionally not working in Russian-controlled areas, making the general image even much less clear.
Moreover, simply because an space could also be famous as not being impacted in landmine datasets doesn’t imply that it isn’t in danger from mines or different explosive ordnance that will not have detonated on impression. Some could merely not have been discovered but.
Ready for Demining Teams To Go to
It is a concern for Ihor Kniazev, a farmer from the city of Dovhen’ke in Kharkiv Oblast. He complains to AFP that he has been ready a very long time for demining teams to go to. “Yearly, they promise ‘tomorrow, tomorrow, we’ll clear all of the fields’,” he says.
Kniazev says that he undertook the harmful process of clearing his personal fields with a steel detector. “Everybody clears mines themselves, completely everybody,” he insists. He even says that he ran over a mine in his tractor and was fortunate to not be injured.
An interactive map exhibits the world round Dovhen’ke overlaid with knowledge from Ukraine’s Nationwide Mine Motion Centre (NMAC). Areas shaded purple depict confirmed hazardous areas, based on NMAC knowledge. Areas shaded yellow depict suspected hazardous areas, based on NMAC knowledge. Knowledge supply right here. Areas colored gentle inexperienced on the map depict agricultural land as outlined by Ukraine’s Ministry of Agriculture crop map software. Knowledge supply right here. Map credit score: Logan Williams and Galen Reich/Bellingcat.
Whereas Kniazev discovered that his land was certainly contaminated, his predicament highlights an vital challenge in demining in Ukraine and for farmers returning to areas that have been beforehand occupied or close to strains of contact.
Whereas some areas are clearly recognized as being mined, there stays uncertainty round these which might be solely suspected of being mined.
A number of specialists AFP and Bellingcat spoke to warned of the financial injury that might come up from suspicions that transform incorrect. As a 2024 UN Growth Programme report said, areas suspected of being contaminated however not really contaminated are both left alone or subjected to the identical prolonged clearance course of at what could be vital price.
Such land may in any other case be used to develop crops and assist reestablish returning farmers. Ukraine stays an enormous meals exporter regardless of the warfare, guaranteeing the problem is critical past its borders.
Some farmers AFP spoke to highlighted the complexity of making an attempt to determine which areas have been contaminated and which weren’t.
When Detectors Develop into Ineffective
Within the city of Kamyanka in Kharkiv Oblast, Victor and Larisa Sysenko speak about their gratitude to a crew from the Fondation Suisse de Déminage (FSD) who helped clear their land with the assistance of a specialist demining machine. “There have been a number of explosions underneath that machine,” recalled Larisa.
Lots of the mines have been PFM-1 anti-personnel mines, that are extra delicate than anti-tank mines and could be lethal if stepped on by folks. The Sysenkos have additionally needed to take care of the hazard of unexploded shells, remnants of a Ukrainian assault on retreating Russian troops in 2022 that remained burrowed within the tender soil with out exploding.
Nonetheless, in a choice of different fields close by, it was a unique story as FSD deminers discovered solely three explosive remnants after an extended and time-consuming search.
One of many FSD crew informed AFP that the steel contamination in these fields was “so immense that our detectors turned ineffective, consistently beeping”. Of the hundreds of steel fragments detected, the overwhelming majority proved non-explosive.
An interactive map exhibits the world round Kamyanka overlaid with knowledge from Ukraine’s Nationwide Mine Motion Centre (NMAC). Areas shaded purple depict confirmed hazardous areas, based on NMAC knowledge. Areas shaded yellow depict suspected hazardous areas, based on NMAC knowledge. Knowledge supply right here. Areas colored gentle inexperienced on the map depict agricultural land as outlined by Ukraine’s Ministry of Agriculture crop map software. Knowledge supply right here. Map credit score: Logan Williams and Galen Reich/Bellingcat.
A couple of hundred miles to the west within the city of Korobchyne, Mykola Pereverzev describes constructing a remote-controlled tractor to attempt to activate the entire mines laid in round 200 hectares of fields current there.
Pereverzev, who works for an agricultural agency, describes the tractor being blown up and constructing one other as the primary was past restore.
The land is ultimately getting used once more, and Pereverzev is placing down herbicides within the soil to sow sunflowers.
However doubts stay about what could lie beneath.
“Troopers have the saying you could cross by way of one place usually 5 occasions, and blow up on the sixth time. Even professionals blow up, so what about us? We’re simply an agriculture firm,” he says.
An interactive map exhibits the world round Korobchyne overlaid with knowledge from Ukraine’s Nationwide Mine Motion Centre (NMAC). Areas shaded purple depict confirmed hazardous areas, based on NMAC knowledge. Areas shaded yellow depict suspected hazardous areas, based on NMAC knowledge. Knowledge supply right here. Areas colored gentle inexperienced on the map depict agricultural land as outlined by Ukraine’s Ministry of Agriculture crop map software. Knowledge supply right here. Map credit score: Logan Williams and Galen Reich/Bellingcat.
Falling Exports
Unsurprisingly, Ukraine’s agricultural exports have been severely impacted for the reason that onset of Russia’s full invasion.
The nation’s Agriculture Minister, Vitaliy Koval, informed AFP that “grain manufacturing has dropped from 84 million tons in 2021 to 56 million tons.”.
He continued: “Ukraine has 42 million hectares of agricultural land, together with arable land. On paper, we will domesticate 32 million hectares. However accessible, non-contaminated, non-occupied land? 24 million hectares.”
“After we come to Brussels (to arrange Ukraine’s future EU membership), they present us an infographic saying we now have 42 million hectares. However the actuality, sadly, is 24 million,” Koval mentioned.
Not all of that is right down to the presence of landmines or explosive ordnance, after all. Different elements additionally contribute to agricultural output. These embrace land being positioned in areas of ongoing preventing, farm gear being destroyed or farmers becoming a member of the armed forces, fleeing to security or not returning.
But landmines stay a big a part of the combination.
Koval’s workplace said that simply over 123,000 km2 of land nonetheless must be assessed for the presence of landmines or explosives. That could be a large space, virtually the identical dimension as Greece, a lot of which stays inaccessible alongside the 1,500 km frontline.
By way of agricultural areas which might be accessible and have been assessed up to now, nevertheless, 14,200 hectares was outlined by the Ministry of Agriculture as being contaminated. As of Could 2025, 11,800 hectares of this space had been cleared, the ministry mentioned.
To be clear, although, these figures don’t consider areas that stay suspected of being contaminated or the big frontline space that’s at the moment inaccessible to demining teams, all of which is able to must be assessed in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later. If Ukraine was to withdraw from the Ottawa Conference on anti-personnel mines, because it mentioned it could final week, this probably would add one other layer of complexity to future demining efforts. Russia by no means signed the 1997 conference and several other of Ukraine’s neighbors have just lately signaled they could go away the treaty as effectively.
Making Selections
Paul Heslop is Programme Supervisor for Mine Motion on the UN Growth Programme in Ukraine. Like all specialists who have been interviewed for this text, he’s cautious about making exact estimations as to the size of the landmine challenge given the size of the frontline and the numerous unknowns that stay in a rustic at warfare.
But he acknowledges to AFP that it’s vital, with probably thousands and thousands of mines or unexploded shells within the floor in Ukraine.
However he provides that by organising and being strategic about which areas are prioritised for evaluation, land that’s of probably the most significance can probably be put again to productive use first.
Essentially the most contaminated land will fall inside the space closest to the frontline, he informed AFP. Simply past that, there’s nonetheless an space that’s nonetheless considerably impacted, though much less intensely, he provides. Inside this space “you’ve got crucial infrastructure, bridges, energy strains, energy crops … transformers, colleges, hospitals. They must be cleared first,” he says.
By the use of instance, Heslop factors to farming areas north of Kyiv or between the Ukrainian capital and Kharkiv that have been occupied within the early days of the warfare. “Numerous that land has now been assessed as not contaminated … or the areas that have been contaminated have now been cleared.”
Nonetheless, some areas – particularly alongside the present entrance line space – can be being assessed for a very long time, he acknowledges.
Pete Smith is one other outstanding hand within the demining recreation.
He oversees the work of the Halo Belief and their 1,500 employees in Ukraine. Like Heslop, he recognises the size of the problem, suggesting Ukraine stands out as the most mined nation on the planet. However he additionally sees hope in new technological options that will quicken the tempo of demining.
Chatting with AFP, he mentioned: “We’re capable of innovate and produce know-how akin to satellite tv for pc imagery, drone imagery, all serving to us simply to drill right down to determine the place these pockets of focus of landmines and explosive ordnance are.”
He describes analysts taking a look at drone and satellite tv for pc photos “pixel by pixel” to find mines and using AI algorithms to help the search. But whereas enthused by such developments, Smith provides: “It’s not an industrial course of but.”
“We’re getting low-level advantages,” he provides. “However I believe it’s that space the place we’ll proceed to develop.”
In the intervening time, these out within the discipline, like Viktoria Shynkar, will proceed the job of demining Ukraine.
As of Could 31, 2025, she had been with the Halo Belief for a 12 months. It’s a place she feels snug in regardless of the hazard that comes with the job.
“Not as soon as have I regretted [taking on the work], in no way,” she says. “I just like the job very a lot. As a result of there are various good folks right here, and I really feel like I’m resting at work.”
On high of that, the impression of what she is doing provides her satisfaction.
“There’s a number of contamination … and farmers can’t work, can’t develop crops,” she says.
“We actually want this, so I need to assist nevertheless I can, in order that our nation can prosper.”
Eoghan Macguire, Gyula Csák, Logan Williams and Galen Reich contributed to this report for Bellingcat.
Boris Bachorz reported for AFP with contributions from Yulia Surkova, Kseniia Tomchik and Oleksii Obolensky.
Editor’s observe: This text was up to date on July 2, 2025, to incorporate the title of the Fondation Suisse de Déminage.
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