FSD: Swiss expertise in humanitarian demining operations

A primary school in a small village in central Kharkiv region is set to reopen in early 2025. The village is located in the first large area liberated by Ukrainian forces on 6 September 2022, marking the initial day of the Kharkiv counter-offensive. The school, heavily damaged during the Russian occupation, remained closed throughout that period. This school is one of many sensitive sites where FSD teams have been tasked with assessing potential contamination from mines and explosive devices, both within the school grounds and in the surrounding area. While the school building has already been completely repaired, the two football pitches on either side of it still need to be thoroughly cleared of mines. Investigations by the FSD's teams revealed that these two areas were heavily contaminated with metal fragments and unexploded ordnance as a result of the bombardments. These areas are undergoing thorough demining to ensure that when the school reopens, all mines and unexploded ordnance will have been cleared and neutralised, allowing safe use of all recreational areas.

Since the beginning of 2024, FSD teams have prioritised work on these two football pitches in the Kharkiv region. While these pitches represent only a fraction of the approximately 150,000 square kilometres of land requiring decontamination in Ukraine, the comprehensive work undertaken in Pryshyb is instrumental in restoring a sense of normality to this vital community hub. Rebuilding a school and demining the area contributes to Ukraine's recovery.

The overarching goal of all demining operations is to restore safe mobility for residents, enable secure use of infrastructure, and allow risk-free cultivation of fields. The stakes are high, as successful demining allows entire families to return home, rebuild their lives, and regain access to essential services such as water and electricity. This is particularly challenging as even critical infrastructure has been contaminated.  The operations aim to allow children to return to school without fear and farmers to fully reclaim the agricultural potential of their lands. While the objective is to restore life to its pre-war state, the process to achieve this is exceptionally time-consuming and painstaking. 

The FSD is the sole Swiss humanitarian organisation conducting mine action operations on the ground. It is also one of the most internationally recognised actors in this field. The FSD brings to bear over 25 years of experience from diverse contexts across nearly every continent. Prior to the most recent Russian aggression that began in February 2022, it was one of only three humanitarian demining operators active in Ukraine. The FSD has been operating in the Donbas region since 2015 and has unique knowledge of the Ukrainian context and the country's specific challenges. It is also officially recognised by the Ukrainian authorities and was among the first to obtain the various accreditations needed to operate in the field.

As in Pryshyb, FSD deminers are working to clear areas where fighting has ceased.Since 2022 , the FSD has established four new operational bases across Ukraine: in Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Sviatohirsk (serving the Donetsk region), and Kryvyi Rih (serving the Kherson region). As a consequence, it has also quadrupled its staff. Before Russia's military aggression, 150 staff members were already involved.  There are now more than 650 staff members, spread across all the regions in which the FSD is active.

While bolstering the workforce is crucial, there remains a shortage of deminers operating in Ukraine. It is estimated that it will take around 100 years to rid Ukraine of all mines and explosive devices. Humanitarian demining in Ukraine is a complex task. The country is currently reporting levels of contamination unprecedented since the Second World War, both in terms of the quantity and diversity of mines and unexploded ordnance present or presumed present in affected areas. Both mines and unexploded ordnance come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, compositions and operating mechanisms, making the demining process extremely complex.

Adapting to a volatile security situation

Although Russian troops have withdrawn from the region, civilian infrastructure remains a target of frequent aerial attacks, especially in the city of Kharkiv. While the ongoing danger – marked by frequent air raid sirens and punctuated by explosions near FSD offices and operational sites – does not halt the foundation's activities in the region, it significantly contributes to a volatile security environment. Following two major incidents in warehouses adjacent to the FSD's offices this year, the foundation has reviewed and bolstered its security protocols. The FSD confirms that none of its projects has yet been put on hold due to the volatility of the environment. 

Half of the FSD teams deployed in Ukraine specialise in clearing mines from contaminated areas and former battlefields. The rest of the staff are busy with other fundamental tasks. While 19 teams are conducting non-technical surveys, which precede actual demining operations, 14 teams are focusing on raising awareness about the dangers of mines and explosive remnants.

Non-technical surveys are a crucial step in the humanitarian demining process. These investigations specifically aim to determine whether a field or area is contaminated or if the suspicion is unfounded. Based on the assignment of operational zones decided by the Ukrainian authorities, the FSD faces a wide range of situations. It may, of course, be faced with a plot of land that proves, after only a few days of investigation, to be free of any contamination and that can quickly be returned to its owner. Conversely, the FSD may also find itself faced with a site, even a small one, that is heavily contaminated and for which its teams will be busy for several months, first with additional (technical) investigations and then with the mine clearance.

In the Kharkiv region, the teams dedicated to non-technical surveys have made significant progress in improving safety. They have carried out in-depth surveys in various communities, identifying and demarcating minefields and areas contaminated by explosive devices. This effort has led to the detection of many dangerous objects, including rockets and other unexploded ordnance, as well as anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, which has considerably reduced the risk to the local population, animals, farmers and infrastructure. Their activities were mainly carried out in agricultural fields, uncultivated areas, around forest belts and in schoolyards. In other places, land has also been identified as being free of any danger and has been handed over to its owners without the need for any demining teams to intervene. 

The FSD conducts all aspects of mine action work. This encompasses not only field surveys and clearance operations – both manual and mechanical – but also risk education to prevent accidents. Awareness campaigns are currently focused on the Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson and Donetsk regions. Initiatives have also been undertaken to support displaced persons who have fled these regions and are likely to return soon. Dedicated teams have organised hundreds of in-person and online and in-person awareness sessions at various venues, including schools, sports facilities and children's camps. These sessions aim to educate communities about the threats posed by mines and unexploded ordnance and teach life-saving behaviours when encountering them.