Kyiv, Ukraine – With support from the Republic of Korea and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 1,813,240 square metres of land have been released in Pervomaiska Hromada, Mykolaiv Oblast. The area, equivalent to half of New York’s Central Park, includes 18 agricultural plots traditionally used by residents to grow sunflowers, grains, flax, and rapeseed. 

The land was confirmed clear through a Non-Technical Survey (NTS), a crucial step in preparing it for safe and productive use. An NTS is the fastest and most cost-effective approach in humanitarian demining. It allows communities to quickly confirm the absence of explosive ordnance and return their land to productive use for development and recovery. 

Maksym Korovai, the head of the Pervomaiske Village Administration, said, “These land plots are leased or owned by farmers. People can now grow crops and provide themselves with food locally, without the need to travel to other towns or villages.” 

The survey work was carried out by Demining Solutions, which collected and analysed data from residents and previous operators. Iryna Kustovska, the Humanitarian Demining Operations Manager for Demining Solutions, said, “The biggest challenge was processing the large amount of information and the high responsibility for people’s lives and safety. We worked from March to May this year in a very intensive mode, and fortunately we were able to complete the work on time.” 

UNDP Field Operations Analyst Tetyana Velshyna said that as of September, the National Mine Action Center (NMAC) has 64 area reports under review and awaiting approval. 

“By the end of the year, about 16 million square meters of land, already surveyed through recurrent non-technical surveys, is expected to be formally released following confirmation from the NMAC,” Velshyna said.

Between 2022 and 2025, UNDP in Ukraine facilitated the survey of 56.3 million square metres of territory through non-technical assessments. Of this, 24 million square metres were released for recovery and economic activity. In Mykolaiv Oblast alone, 256,072 square metres underwent technical survey, while 2,003 square metres were cleared with the help of mine detection dog teams. 

The UNDP Mine Action Programme team confirmed the release of these territories through formal guarantee letters, endorsed by the Mine Action Centre. 

Media enquiries: 

Yuliia Samus, UNDP Ukraine Head of Communications and Advocacy; e-mail: yuliia.samus@undp.org