More Than 1,600 Civilians Affected by Russian Mines

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 1,645 civilians have been affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war. Among them are 170 children and 1,475 adults.

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine reported this.

Information about such incidents is processed by the Main Directorate for Mine Action, Civil Protection and Environmental Safety. After verification, the data is entered into the information management system for mine action. This, in particular, enables victims to receive financial assistance from international organizations.

Between 2023 and 2026, 185 people affected by mine-related incidents received assistance from international organizations totaling more than UAH 3.4 million.

The assistance covers medical treatment and rehabilitation expenses, as well as the purchase of equipment for remote learning and work for people with mine and explosive injuries.

The experience of large-scale armed conflicts shows that the threat posed by landmines can persist for decades after hostilities have ended.

Croatia needed more than 30 years to clear all known mine-contaminated areas affected by the 1991–1995 War of Independence.

In 1996, the UN Mine Action Centre preliminarily estimated that 13,000 km² of the country’s territory was potentially contaminated. Following systematic surveys, this figure was revised to 1,174 km² as of 2005.

Over the course of the demining operations in Croatia, nearly 107,000 mines and more than 470,000 unexploded ordnance items were discovered and cleared.

By comparison, as of April 2025, approximately 139,000 km² of Ukraine’s territory was considered potentially contaminated with explosive remnants of war.

Throughout 2025, demining units of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence cleared 662.7 km² of liberated territory. Another approximately 4,541 km² of Ukrainian land was returned to use after being surveyed.

Overall, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has returned more than 40,000 km² of territory to use.