Demining Ukraine: How technology can help to recover arable land in the world’s most mined country
Ukraine is now the most mined country in the world. In such a short time, it has leapt to the top of a league nobody wishes to compete for. Moreover, it threatens to derail the nation’s future ability to rebuild its economy, where agriculture, pre-war, accounted for a large proportion of the country’s exports and employed millions.
These exports helped feed the world - over 50% of 15 African countries’ wheat supplies come from Ukraine and Russia - and due to this war we’ve encountered food shortages and a stark increase in energy prices globally. The prolonged effect of the war and its possible consequences is not to be understated.
We have also seen the human cost of mines: from lives lost to those irrevocably changed due to injury, to the hidden dangers for future generations. Landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and unexploded munitions (and subsequently the process of demining them) create a domino effect of supply chain issues alongside a lasting impact on people.
Therefore, what technological advancements are necessary or already underway to reclaim swathes of land tragically lost in the ‘breadbasket of the world’?
Right here and now
As with the rapid growth of minefields, the rate of DefenceTech innovation in Ukraine is also unmatched. Demining is a core part of DefenceTech and its humanitarian outcomes will not only protect people but provide them with viable land to restore Ukraine’s economy and its global agricultural status.
At present, the demining process is too slow and inefficient to deal with the scale of the problem in Ukraine. Beyond the need to demine sooner rather than later, this must be a methodical and precise endeavour for mistakes will have unrectifiable repercussions.
Technology alone is not the answer
While technological innovation is crucial, it is not the silver bullet to solving the issue of demining. Drones have played a key role in the war in Ukraine, but they also have their shortcomings: not only limited battery life, but there has also been an increase in IEDs made using household products not containing metal. This makes it harder for standard landmine survey and detection capabilities. However, advancements in AI and drone tech will help speed up the time it takes to recover this mined land.
Companies such as Bees Against Mines, Arondite, Palantir and Fenix Insight are harnessing AI for humanitarian purposes, which will help move the needle on demining both in Ukraine and beyond. By conducting contactless demining at scale, Bees Against Mines uses AI-based computing modules to imitate the decisions of sappers in the field to detect mines. Arondite will harness AI and autonomous systems, with one use case being drones that can detect mines and dispose of them in a safe and cost-effective manner. Started over two decades ago, Palantir has created software platforms that can be integrated for real-world big data, while Fenix Insight has collated a world-class AI and munitions database of explosive ordnance. As AI advances, so will the companies that are utilising it.
Testing technology in the battlefield provides a ‘gold stamp of approval’; it is no use for any technology to claim it can accurately detect mines if this has never been proven in the real world. There is growing demand to test new capabilities at every stage of the innovation process. For example, Ukrainian-based Transimpex, a member of the TechExchange cohort, performs humanitarian demining and ammunition disposal tasks and is always on the lookout to work with companies ready to trial their tech. Transimpex was chosen to join the TechExchange programme as humanitarian demining is one of the key areas to fulfil our mission to save lives.
Cross-border collaboration is key
Deploying technology is only one piece of the complex demining puzzle. The process is a sum of its many parts and requires the sharing of expertise between new and established companies. Organisations such as Disarmco, HALO Trust and MAG International have a breadth of knowledge spanning many decades in conflict zones. Facilitating the exchange of ideas is pivotal to solving the demining problem. An issue with generational ramifications requires a collective approach. The siloed mentality will not suffice.
However, it is not just on the private sector to prioritise demining. Salvaging Ukrainian land also requires governments banding together to recognise the importance of demining and putting the necessary funding behind this. The UK’s new Defence Secretary, John Healey, pledged an aid package for Ukraine, which will include 40 demining vehicles, within 48 hours of his appointment. It is this proactiveness and putting demining on the world stage, in combination with the success of businesses and international cooperation that will bring us leaps and bounds closer to clearing areas of land affected by armed conflict, enabling local populations and the farming community to return to and use their land.
UK-Ukraine TechExchange would be interested in hearing from you if you think your technology can be used for humanitarian demining.
This article is co-authored by Andriy Dovbenko, a UK-based private investor and Founder of UK-Ukraine TechExchange, and Daria Partas, Founder of Partas Global, a London-based boutique strategic communications advisory. Both authors originally come from Ukraine. They both have lived and worked in London for many years.
