Sweden has joined the Demining Coalition and will provide financial support to Ukraine to ensure that demining operations are carried out as soon as possible.

The Minister of Defense of Lithuania announced this.

The Memorandum of Understanding signed by Sweden provided additional support for the coalition led by Lithuania and Iceland.

In addition, the government promised to make its own contribution of €5 million to help Ukraine with demining operations over large areas.

It should be noted that about 30 countries have now joined the Demining Coalition, actively providing financial and material assistance to Ukraine.

In addition, the countries are donating special equipment designed to find and destroy anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, as well as other explosive devices.

More than 26% of the territory of Ukraine has a very high percentage of explosive devices, including mines, that need to be detected and destroyed.

Sweden’s accession to this coalition will qualitatively improve the capabilities of the countries already involved and allow for the timely delivery of the necessary equipment.

On January 11, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense held a meeting of the international demining coalition of Ukraine led by Lithuania.

Vaidotas Urbelis, Director of the Defense Policy Department of the Ministry of Defense of Lithuania, noted that had been the first working meeting of the coalition “to clarify the needs of Ukraine in the field of mine action and the specific contribution of each of the coalition partner countries.”

The Demining Coalition includes elements of humanitarian demining of territories liberated from invaders, as well as demining on the contact line.

A support fund is created for carrying out this action, including the purchase of equipment necessary for demining the territory of Ukraine.