Demining in the 20–50 km Zone: What Would Expanding the Restrictions Mean?

An idea is being discussed (during a meeting at the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine) to expand the restriction zone for humanitarian demining operators from 20 to 50 km from the line of contact. At this stage, it remains a proposal rather than a final decision. For UDS, this is a matter that simultaneously affects human safety, community recovery, and the preservation of the sector's operational capacity.

Cleared land returns to use immediately.

Over the course of its operations, UDS has released more than 5,670 hectares through technical survey and clearance. In 2026 alone, over 2,500 hectares have been released within 50 km of the line of contact and/or the state border.

According to our observations, farmers often begin cultivating the handed-over plots within the very same month. They do not wait for better times — they get right back to work. In this way, funds allocated to demining yield an immediate economic return: fields are brought back into production, while jobs and livelihoods are restored in affected communities.

Safety requires site-specific risk assessment.

UDS adheres to the guidelines of the Mine Action Centre regarding safety measures in high-risk areas. In our three years of operational experience, we have not recorded any incidents of direct threat to personnel that were specifically linked to operating within the 20–50 km zone. Hazardous situations were tied either to direct work in contaminated fields or to shelling in the areas where our teams operate.

This represents the track record of a single company, not proof of uniform safety across all areas. It does not eliminate the need to conduct up-to-date threat assessments prior to every operation.

No re-contamination recorded on our sites.

Having cleared over 5,500 hectares and maintained continuous monitoring of the released areas, UDS has not identified a single instance of re-contamination, including from remote minelaying. This is the factual outcome of our observations, though not an absolute guarantee that such risks will not arise in the future.

Potential consequences for the nascent humanitarian demining market are substantial.

According to UDS estimates, the vast majority of lots currently being executed under contracts with the Humanitarian Demining Centre are located precisely within the 20–50 km corridor, rather than closer than 20 km to the line of contact.

If the restriction is extended to active contracts without a transitional framework or replacement orders, it could virtually halt the bulk of work under the State Programme. For operators, the likely fallout includes equipment downtime, lost revenue, and staff redundancies among trained teams. For Ukrainian manufacturers, it means a drop in demand for machinery and equipment. For farmers, it means delays in returning land to production.

Concerns regarding a blanket 50-kilometer restriction were also voiced by the Ukrainian National Association for Humanitarian Demining (UNAHD). The Association advocates assessing actual threats on the ground alongside the risks to civilians should clearance operations cease.

According to Association estimates, over 400,000 hectares in the 20–50 km zone remain unsurveyed, and more than 200,000 hectares require clearance and demining.

People continue to live in these communities. Halting operator activity does not eliminate the daily mine risks local residents face.