British organization Mines Advisory Group will demine Ukrainian energy facilities

The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine and the branch of the British non-governmental organization The Mines Advisory Group agreed on cooperation to demine energy facilities and their adjacent territories.

The energy ministry reports that Deputy Minister of Energy Yaroslav Demchenkov and MAG Branch Director John Cunliffe signed the memorandum in the presence of the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Halushchenko and the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero of Great Britain Grant Shapps.

The heads of ministries cited the importance of the signed memorandum for humanitarian purposes and the restoration of energy supply to Ukrainian consumers. Ukraine's power network has been heavily affected by continuous Russian missile and drone strikes since October 2022. Russian forces did the most damage in the autumn and winter of 2022 and 2023, depriving civilians of basic services, like electricity, water, and heating supply, to create tensions and fatigue in Ukrainian society and, this way, push people to negotiations. Ukrainian authorities expect a new wave of massive attacks on electrical substations, power plants, and other energy facilities next winter.

The memorandum involves cooperation to create conditions for the safe reconstruction of Ukrainian critical energy infrastructure by cleaning the buildings of energy facilities, their sites, and adjacent territories from explosive objects, their parts that pose a threat to people's lives and health, and the proper safe functioning of energy facilities objects.

MAG will also provide technical assistance and advisory support for mine risk awareness activities, technical and non-technical surveys and demining of territories, and promotion of a safe environment for the socio-economic development of regions affected by hostilities.