United to win: Croatia and Ukraine sign memorandum to collaborate on demining efforts

Photo: Main Department of Mine Countermeasures, Civil Protection and Environmental Safety

Nina Voronets

Croatia will help Ukraine in demining its territories. The relevant bilateral memorandum of the state was signed on May 14.

The Main Department of Mine Countermeasures, Civil Protection, and Environmental Safety press service reported this on Facebook.

It is noted that the memorandum was signed between the Center of Excellence for Mine Action and Environmental Security of Ukraine and the Croatian Mine Action Center on the sidelines of the 27th International Meeting of UN National Directors and Advisors on Mine Action in Geneva (Switzerland).

^{Photo: Main Department of Mine Countermeasures, Civil Protection and Environmental Safety}In particular, the document provides:

• exchange of experience in the field of humanitarian demining;
• cooperation in the implementation of innovative projects in the field of technologies and techniques for detecting explosive objects;
• development of joint training programs and initiatives to improve the qualifications of specialists in humanitarian demining;
• strengthening advocacy and public awareness of international standards and best practices in the field of humanitarian demining.

^{Photo: Main Department of Mine Countermeasures, Civil Protection and Environmental Safety}

As the Main Department of Mine Countermeasures, Civil Protection, and Environmental Safety said, the choice of Croatian partners is "not accidental."

"This Balkan country suffered significant contamination by explosive objects due to hostilities in the 1990s. Demining there is still ongoing but should be completed by next year. Therefore, Croatia's experience is truly invaluable for Ukraine," the message reads.

For reference:

It should be noted that about 25% of the territory of Ukraine is contaminated with explosive objects; the de-occupied regions remain the most densely mined. During demining, 21 employees of the State Emergency Service were killed, and another 87 pyrotechnicians of the rescue service were injured.

It should be noted that since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, 297 people, including 15 children, have been killed by explosives, and 669 people have been injured, including 78 children.

Rubryka previously reported that international partners have allocated more than $700 million to Ukraine for humanitarian demining projects from 2022 to 2027.

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