In a groundbreaking initiative to address the critical issue of landmines and unexploded ordnance in Ukraine, an all-female team of Ukrainian handlers, accompanied by highly trained technical survey dogs, has been deployed to aid in the clearance of contaminated land across the country.
This project, backed by a €2 million grant from the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), marks a significant step forward in the ongoing efforts to make Ukraine safer for its citizens.
The initiative brings together the expertise of two leading humanitarian mine action organisations: APOPO, known for its use of animals in landmine clearance, and the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a global leader in mine removal and destruction. The partnership aims to enhance the speed and accuracy of landmine detection and clearance in some of Ukraine’s most affected regions.
The 16 Belgian Malinois dogs, which are the first technical survey dogs to be deployed in Ukraine, have been specially trained for this mission. Alongside their eight Ukrainian handlers, all of whom are women, these dogs underwent a rigorous five-month training program in Cambodia. This training equipped the teams with the necessary skills to detect landmines and unexploded ordnance efficiently, a critical need in a country where vast areas remain hazardous due to the ongoing conflict.
Many of these handlers had previously studied dog training at Sumy National Agrarian University in Ukraine. Their training not only focused on dog handling but also included comprehensive courses in manual demining, ensuring that they are well-prepared to support the clearance efforts.
The Role of Technical Survey Dogs
The dogs will be deployed to supplement MAG’s existing manual and mechanical clearance operations in liberated territories such as Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Kharkiv oblasts. These areas, heavily affected by Russia’s full-scale invasion, are plagued with landmines and unexploded ordnance, posing significant risks to civilians and hindering the return to normalcy.
Technical survey dogs are particularly valuable in environments with dense vegetation or challenging terrain, where traditional demining methods may be slower or less effective. In certain conditions, these dogs can cover large areas of land more quickly than human deminers, identifying explosive devices and confirming whether land is safe for civilian use. Once a potential hazard is detected by the dogs, MAG’s deminers are called in to neutralise the threat.
Jon Cunliffe, MAG Ukraine Country Director, emphasised the importance of these dogs in speeding up the clearance process, particularly in difficult terrain.
“Dogs have the potential to significantly speed up the clearance of certain types of terrain and contamination,” he said. “They can be a really important tool when combined with traditional manual and mechanised demining teams.”
Personal Commitment and Future Expansion
For the women involved in this project, the mission is deeply personal. Karina Buchma, a handler from Lviv, expressed her dedication to the cause, stating, “I really want to help my country, to support people and to make a difference. I grew up with dogs and studied dog training, so this is the perfect role for me.” Buchma’s words reflect the strong bond that these handlers have with their dogs, a bond forged through months of intensive training and shared purpose.
The project is expected to expand in the coming months, with plans to recruit and train additional handlers as operations scale up. APOPO’s Programme Manager for Ukraine, Nick Guest, highlighted the EU’s commitment to accelerating the clearance process, stating, “The EU’s commitment will enable us to return suspected contaminated land to the Ukrainian people much more quickly than would otherwise be the case.”
EU’s Continued Support for Humanitarian Mine Action
The funding for this project is part of a broader effort by the European Union to support humanitarian mine action in Ukraine. Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, the EU has mobilised a total of €55 million to address the issue of landmines and unexploded ordnance in the country. This support is crucial as Ukraine continues to grapple with the long-term impacts of the conflict on its civilian population.
