Ukrainian Defense Ministry: Demining of Donbas will take 10-15 years
The head of a specialized group in the Ecology and Safety department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Colonel Sergei Zubarevsky,told Hromadske radio that the complete demining of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions affected by the current conflict will take between 10 and 15 years.
“I think that the clearance of the Donbas region will cost more than one billion hryvnia. Establishing complete safety for citizens of this region can only be achieved in 10 or 15 years,” Zubarevsky said.
On the 5th of February, the UN completed its technical Mine Action Needs Assessment Mission. The group arrived in the country at the invitation of the Ukrainian government.
The mission team confirmed that booby traps and unexploded artillery have a significant impact on the situation in the conflict area, and also pose a serious threat to civilians.
On the 6th of January, Ukraine’s representative in the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group, MP Irina Herashchenko, said that the start of the demining process is scheduled for the spring of 2016.