FSD Director: Over 70 percent of accessible land has already been released

On this International Mine Awareness Day, Fondation suisse de déminage (FSD) underscores a crucial message. Despite the immense scale of contamination and an uncertain future, one thing remains undeniable: humanitarian demining works.

Every day, lives are saved, land is reclaimed, and communities are given a second chance. Mines and unexploded ordnance are removed, allowing families to return home, farmers to cultivate their fields, and children to play safely.

Since June 2022, FSD and other humanitarian demining organizations have released thousands of hectares in Ukraine, restoring vital land for agriculture, infrastructure, and daily life.

To date, FSD has surveyed over 117 square kilometres — equivalent to 16,000 football fields — and cleared 2.5 square kilometres in the Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson regions.

Among the areas cleared by FSD is a school football field in the Kharkiv region. Just months ago, it was littered with hundreds of ordnance fragments; today, it is fully cleared and ready for its next match — a powerful symbol of resilience and hope for the entire community.

FSD's mission goes beyond clearing mines; it is also investing in accelerating the demining process by strengthening local expertise.

This April, FSD will conduct the first field tests of a drone equipped with ground-penetrating radar — a possible breakthrough that has the potential to significantly improve detection accuracy.

The scale of contamination in Ukraine remains unprecedented. By the end of 2023, approximately 174,000 square kilometers of land was suspected of being mined. Of these, only about 45,000 square kilometers were accessible for humanitarian demining.

On this International Mine Awareness Day, FSD reaffirms its commitment to a future where no one has to live under the hidden threat of mines and explosive remnants of war.