The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine approved the plan of measures to clear agricultural land for sowing

The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksiy Reznikov, based on the results of the regular meeting of the National Mine Action Authority, announced the approval of the plan of measures for demining agricultural land for sowing.

"Important decisions have been made so that peaceful agricultural machinery can enter our fields. We are doing everything possible to carry out spring field work in our country wherever there are suitable conditions for this. We have approved the Action Plan for Demining Agricultural Land. Ukrainian land in the areas most affected by hostilities will give birth and feed people all over the world. We are making fields and other lands safe for farmers to work," the Minister emphasized.

According to him, the Ministry will continue to ensure coordination, management and interaction between authorities, international partners and mine action operators. This will take place during the implementation of measures to clear the territories of Ukraine from explosive objects and other tasks to reduce risks for the population and socio-economic development of the territories affected by Russian aggression.

It should be noted that the meeting proved a simplified procedure for obtaining a permit for carrying out explosive works during demining and the use of explosive materials by operators of mine countermeasures during the period of the legal regime of martial law. In addition, the procedures for the recognition of foreign documents on the qualification of demining specialists and their compliance with national requirements have been worked out. It is assumed that survey and demining measures will be carried out first in the regions where the problem of land contamination is the most urgent, and the clearing of agricultural land is the most economically justified.

In turn, the interdepartmental working group, which is coordinated by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, determined the priority in the demining of agricultural lands. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Denys Bashlyk, the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy reported. According to him, the priority plan determines the presence of 470 thousand hectares of land potentially contaminated by explosive objects. He also added that currently survey measures for the further demining of land are ongoing, information on the density of pollution and categories of economic expediency are prepared by territorial communities and submitted to the regional military administration. In order to speed up the first stage of non-technical survey of land, a pilot project is being conducted in the Kyiv region. This will make it possible to use the latest drones, which can significantly speed up the overall demining process.

"It is also necessary to clearly understand that the figure of 470,000 hectares is the land that, first of all, needs a high-quality survey for the presence of explosive objects, not necessarily immediate demining," the Deputy Minister noted.