Mine marking is not a formality
10.07.2025
Mine danger persists in some forests of Kyiv and Chernihiv regions. All marked areas are dangerous. Until humanitarian demining is carried out in these territories, visiting them is prohibited. This was emphasized by the director of the Humanitarian Demining Center (Center), Volodymyr Bayda, on the air of the national marathon "United News" on the Inter TV channel.
"If you see markings that the area is contaminated or there is a risk of mines, do not go there under any circumstances. This is dangerous to life. In total, 171 thousand hectares of forests in Ukraine need to be demined," the director of the Center noted.
The scale of the mine threat in forests requires a systemic response. That is why the Humanitarian Demining Center has appealed to the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine with an initiative to expand the state program for compensation for humanitarian demining costs to forest lands.
Technical means do not replace humans, but they significantly speed up the work. Volodymyr Bayda said this, commenting on modern approaches to humanitarian demining:
"Demining machines speed up the demining process by an average of 8-10 times, and in some areas that are heavily contaminated, by 15-20 times. For example, in heavily contaminated areas, such as former landfills, a sapper can work on a square meter for a day or two, while a machine can do it in minutes."
At the same time, the technique has its limitations: in dense forests or urban environments, its effectiveness is reduced - manual work by specialists is required there.
Don't touch! We urge citizens not to touch suspicious objects, even if they do not appear to be explosive. Instead, they should report such incidents to 101.
Why is humanitarian demining becoming critically important right now?
What is the threat of explosive objects with a small amount of metal in their composition?
How many layers will a cross-platform system combine to become a comprehensive platform in the mine action sector?
About this and more - in the full recording of the interview with the Director of the Center, Volodymyr Bayda, on the air of "United News".