At the Request of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Free Demining Has Begun in the Kalynivka Community

The “Blahodatnivka-16” site is located within the Blahodatne Starosta District of the Kalynivka Settlement Territorial Community, Beryslav District, Kherson Region.

According to the IMSMA system, the territory is classified as a potentially hazardous “minefield” area. During the initial survey, direct evidence of contamination was identified — fragments of POM-3 and PMN-2 antipersonnel mines, as well as craters left by detonated explosive ordnance.

The works are being carried out by a team of the UDS Humanitarian Demining Department “South.” The unit is based in Snihurivka and operates across Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. The operations manager is Oleksii Reutenko.

The need for these activities was raised by the Kherson Regional State Administration during a working meeting held last month. UDS leadership met with Olha Maliarchuk, Deputy Head of the RMA responsible for mine action; Volodymyr Bieliayev, Head of the Civil Protection and Defense Department; and Yurii Pererva, Head of the Mine Action Sector. Following the meeting, UDS quickly carried out preparatory work, received authorization from the Mine Action Center, and deployed a team of sappers to the site.

The site is located along the shoreline of the Inhulets River, and UDS also plans to participate in the demining of the river itself. A Memorandum of Cooperation has already been signed between UDS and the State Water Resources Agency of Ukraine for this purpose.

“Demining riverbanks and freshwater intake zones is our priority. We have all the necessary capabilities, and Ukraine has one of the largest volumes of war-contaminated freshwater bodies in the world. We are grateful to the Kherson RMA for their trust. Our partnership will be productive,” emphasized UDS Technical Director Eduard Drach.

Work at the “Blahodatnivka-16” site is planned to be completed by 15 December 2025.