SMINA – Humanitarian demining and community awareness to reduce the risk from landmines and unexploded ordnance in Ukraine

Ukraine is currently one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world, with over 30% of its territory potentially affected by anti-personnel mines, unexploded ordnance (UXO), and other explosive remnants of war (ERW). Contamination is particularly severe in southern and eastern oblasts, where active fighting, repeated occupation, and population return overlap. These hazards pose a daily threat to civilians, especially children, farmers, IDPs, and returning families, undermining safety, delaying reconstruction, and hindering the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Beyond physical danger, the lack of reliable, localized information has led to high-risk behavior and misinformation, particularly in rural communities and recently liberated areas. A coordinated and community-centered response to mine action is urgently needed, combining survey, education, protection, and local planning under a conflict-sensitive lens.

The overall aim of the project is to ensure a rapid, life-saving response to the basic needs of the most vulnerable civilians—whether displaced, returning, or non-displaced but affected by the conflict—by securing access to essential services, protection support, and humanitarian assistance, while also enabling the clearance and rehabilitation of land contaminated by mines and explosive ordnance in Ukraine. Specifically, the project seeks to guarantee adequate access to mental health care and protection services for women, children, and people with special needs and to improve the safety of vulnerable populations in the oblasts of Mykolaiv and Kherson through the removal of explosive hazards and the prevention of related risks.