Technologies Do Not Replace the Deminer: How Ukraine Is Building a Humanitarian Demining System During the War
Time for Action analyzed how humanitarian demining works in Ukraine today, what role technologies play in it, and why despite the development of drones, robots, and elements of artificial intelligence, the key factor of safety remains the human being. After 2022, Ukraine faced an unprecedented challenge. According to UN assessments, the country became the most mined in the world – about 23% of potentially contaminated land. In de-occupied territories and active combat zones, pyrotechnicians destroy hundreds of munitions every day, while clearing territories may take decades and require billions of dollars in investment. According to the World Bank, the overall need for demining funding may reach $34.6 billion.
In this context, interest in technology is growing. In the public space, claims are increasingly heard that robots, drones, and AI are capable of fully replacing deminers. However, the real picture is far more complex.
Today, ground, aerial, and underwater technological solutions are used in humanitarian demining. Ground robotic systems operate on large and complex sites, clear surfaces, and can neutralize explosive objects. But even after a machine has passed, the site must be checked by a deminer with a metal detector, after which the territory is additionally inspected by the state as part of external quality control. This sequence cannot be shortened, because the cost of error is human life.
Aerial solutions, particularly drones, are used during non-technical surveys. They help quickly assess territory, record signs of hostilities, and identify high-risk areas. But it is the human who analyzes this data, draws conclusions, and makes decisions on further actions.
Underwater drones operate in bodies of water, capable of functioning in conditions of currents, silt, and low visibility. They transmit images to the operator without direct risk to human life. At the same time, decisions on further steps are always made by a specialist who controls the device. In November, with the support of UNDP in Ukraine, the first national interagency group of underwater demining instructors was formed, who are already training operators. This is fundamentally important, because technology works effectively only when human expertise grows alongside it.
Thus, technologies reduce risks, accelerate individual stages, and increase safety, but they remain tools. The final decision is made by the deminer, who assesses context, risks, and bears responsibility for the result.
At the same time, Ukraine is experiencing rapid development of its own engineering solutions. If before the full-scale invasion the country did not even produce a standard protective visor for deminers, today domestic companies create virtually the entire basic range of equipment for humanitarian demining.
Among such solutions is the remote-controlled system Germina, which works with anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines and in practice can destroy about 75% of munitions and detonate another approximately 15%. The HART 5100machine is capable of processing more than two hectares of territory in one daylight day, while the compact system “Zmii” is used for a wide range of tasks, including soil preparation.
In the segment of handheld tools, Ukrainian Trembita metal detectors can already be compared with the best foreign models. Their advantage lies not only in efficiency, but also in affordability. At the same time, specialists emphasize that to speak about a stable advantage, serial production and many years of testing in different conditions are necessary, as was the case with leading international systems.
A separate direction is cooperation between practitioners and engineers. The Ukrainian Deminers Association has been working with KPI for over a year. A memorandum of cooperation was signed in the fall of 2024. The teams jointly participate in innovation projects, including within the framework of Sikorsky Challenge Ukraine. A techno-economic study on the use of drones and AI elements in demining within a UNIDO project is also nearing completion. In case of positive results, practical implementation is planned to begin in 2026.
At the same time, the problem of innovation lies not in the lack of ideas. Often technologies appear without a real demand from the field, and developers then try to adapt them to humanitarian demining post factum. In 2022, foreign manufacturers repeatedly proposed drones that supposedly could detect all dangerous objects in a territory in a single flight. In practice, it was necessary to explain why this was technically and procedurally impossible. Demining follows a different logic: first the needs of deminers, then the technological solution.
Financing humanitarian demining remains a separate complex issue. According to an internal audit of commitments, international partners have promised Ukraine about $1.5 billion for this area. A significant portion of the funds does not arrive as money, but as in-kind assistance equipment, metal detectors, protective gear. Part of the funding goes through implementing agencies, including UNDP, which carry out specific projects.
At the same time, only 0.5% of the pledged funds is allocated to the development of innovation, AI, and drones. This raises a systemic question: how to achieve a technological breakthrough without investing in the implementation of new solutions.
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According to representatives of the Ministry of Economy, to date more than 14.5 thousand hectares have already been cleared and returned to safe use. Nearly 19 thousand hectares have passed through the state compensation program, of which 9.3 thousand hectares have already been cleared. The program has changed several times – from a co-financing model with farmers to full coverage of demining costs. Escrow accounts were introduced to avoid prepayments and guarantee payment only for actually completed work. At the same time, the system remains complex and often poorly understood by farmers. Lack of trust in the state, administrative procedures, and overall economic uncertainty reduce the number of applications. The state acknowledges this problem and is preparing changes, including a transition to planning priority plots without waiting for individual requests.
As of today, about 130 certified demining operators operate in Ukraine, whereas two and a half years ago there were only a few, mostly international. Procedures have been unified, services digitized, and applications are submitted through Diia. Formally, the current number of operators covers existing demand, but further progress depends on funding volumes and the state’s strategic priorities. The Ministry of Economy estimates the demining horizon as a strategy until 2033, with the goal of clearing at least 80% of controlled territories. This is a long-term process with annual and three-year plans, which directly depends on political attention, interagency coordination, and the system’s ability to make complex decisions.
The expanded conclusion of Time for Action is that humanitarian demining in Ukraine today is already a complex technical, financial, and governance system, rather than a set of isolated projects. Technologies play an increasingly important role in it, but they are not self-sufficient. Without a deminer who makes decisions, no drone or robot can guarantee safety. At the same time, without technology the country will not be able to clear contaminated land within reasonable timeframes. The key challenge lies not only in finances, but in properly setting priorities: investing not in loud promises, but in solutions that actually work in the field; combining engineering with practice; ensuring transparent financing and trust in the system. It is precisely this combination that represents the real path to effective clearance of Ukraine and the return of land to people.
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