United to win: Slovenia donates truck pullers for demining to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine has just received two brand new truck pullers, bought by the Government of Slovenia through the United24 program, directly from a Ukrainian manufacturer.

The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine reported that.

As reported, these truck pullers will promptly transport demining equipment to areas where territories have been cleared of explosive objects.

Dmytro Panshin, the head of the Department for Humanitarian Demining of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, thanked the Slovenian government for its significant support in the field of humanitarian demining.

"Additional truck pullers mean greater mobility of our rescue units. It is important for us that the pullers were purchased in response to the request of the State Emergency Service. Such cooperation allows us to effectively spend the money provided by our partners for the needs of humanitarian demining," he said during the equipment transfer ceremony.

1.5 million euros was allocated for equipment purchases as part of a deal signed in December 2023 between the governments of Ukraine and the Republic of Slovenia. The agreement took effect on July 3, 2024, after all necessary domestic procedures were completed.

Slovenian Ambassador to Ukraine Mateja Prevolšek emphasized the importance of demining for restoring peaceful life in Ukraine.

"I know the importance of demining one's own land. The Slovenian government's decision to allocate 1.5 million euros for humanitarian demining is a very commendable step. My team at the Embassy and I are diligently working towards increasing our country's contribution to this effort," she said.

The head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Andrii Danyk, added that the organization plans to increase the number of demining machines to 90 units in the next season with the help of international partners. This will become the largest fleet of such machines in Europe.

"This is almost the largest fleet of such vehicles in Europe. And I hope we will be able to clear an even larger territory area. And we really need truck pullers because demining machines must be transported to the place of work," the head of the emergency services said.

For reference:

The United24 program, from which these funds were received, actively supports Ukraine's humanitarian demining. Since May 2023, more than 177 million hryvnias have been transferred to the initiative's account.

With these funds, heavy equipment for the State Emergency Service, protective equipment, metal detectors, and sappers' sets have already been purchased, which will significantly improve the efficiency of clearing territories from mines and explosive objects.

It should be noted that the Swiss government handed over the first of three GCS 200 specialized vehicles for mechanized demining to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.