Sappers demine record 1,700 hectares of farmland in Kharkiv region

Mine action operators cleared 1,700 hectares of explosives, setting a record within the state program that compensates for the cost of demining agricultural land, the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture reports.

"To date, this is the largest area demined by a mine action operator within the scope of this program. During the operation, sappers discovered TM-62PZ anti-tank mines and S-8 unguided aircraft missiles. The sappers worked on the site for only five months, from May to September of 2025," the message on the institution's website said on Wednesday.

According to Ihor Bezkaravainy, the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture, clearing such a plot in just a few months is no easy feat. However, thanks to this effort, farmers will be able to sow winter crops or prepare arable land for spring work this season.

"And all this without any risk to the people or equipment entering the field. We continue to work so that, in the near future, as many farmers as possible, including individual farmers, can clear their lands at the expense of the state," Bezkaravainy emphasized.

Since the start of the state program, the Ministry of Economy reports that mine action operators have completed full cycles of demining under 38 contracts with the Humanitarian Demining Center. A total of 5,138 hectares of agricultural land have been cleared, at a cost of UAH 328.2 million.

The largest areas were cleared in Kharkiv (2,200 hectares), Kyiv (1,500 hectares), Mykolaiv (over 1,000 hectares) and Kherson regions (almost 353 hectares).