Mine action operators in April 2026, under Ukraine’s state compensation programme for demining agricultural land, cleared 388 hectares of farmland, the press service of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture reported on Thursday.
According to the statement, five contracts were completed during the month, under which demining operators received 24.5 million UAH. The average cost of clearing 1 hectare under the programme in March was 61,250 UAH. Under four new agreements signed by the Humanitarian Demining Center in April, specialists began clearing an additional approximately 2,200 hectares of agricultural land worth 165 million UAH.
As of May 1, 2026, a total of 125 contracts had been signed under the compensation programme for the demining of 24,900 hectares of land, with a total value of 1.573 billion UAH. Of these, 93 contracts have already been fully completed, allowing 15,600 hectares worth 914.4 million UAH to be returned to use. The number of certified mine action operators has increased to 136, and the fleet of demining machines has grown to 305 units. In April alone, the number of certified operators increased by two companies, and seven new specialized machines were added.
In addition, in April the government launched applications for the state programme “Humanitarian Demining,” with 2 billion UAH allocated in the 2026 budget. Applications can be submitted by agricultural producers, individual farmers, and state-owned enterprises with 100% government ownership whose land is contaminated or potentially contaminated with explosive ordnance.
A study conducted by the Society of Researchers of Ukraine, commissioned by the ministry and in cooperation with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), analyzed de-occupied territories in the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Zhytomyr regions for soil damage. The most affected areas were Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, where nearly 40,000 craters from mines and shells were recorded.
The ministry also noted that on April 8 the international Minesight Innovation Challenge began, aimed at developing technological solutions for excavation in demining, with more than 150 engineers participating. Additionally, on April 20–21, the Ukraine Mine Action Partner Coordination Workshop 2026 was held in Geneva, where sector reform and international support for quality management were discussed.
