Introducing the Humanitarian Demining Department "Pivden"
The department consists of four UDS humanitarian demining teams. The department’s operations cover the Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. The department is made up of 4 leaders, 20 deminers, and 12 deminer assistants. The head of the department is Artem Dudulyak, with Oleksiy Reutenko serving as his deputy.
The teams include experienced deminers and UAV operators. Each deminer has an individual first aid kit and is equipped with a full set of high-quality personal protective gear, including aprons and visors. This ensures maximum safety during demining operations. All teams are equipped with modern vehicles: two Toyota Hilux and four Volkswagen Transporter, providing mobility to each team. Deminers use high-quality equipment: 30 hand-held metal detectors Trembita, 6 wide-frame metal detectors Trembita, 1 mine detector Ebinger, as well as Mavic 3 UAVs.
The main task of the department is conducting technical surveys, manual demining, and unexploded ordnance clearance. The deminers of the "Pivden" department work on prepared ground that has been previously cleared by the mechanized demining teams of UDS.
💬 "For a year and a half, our deminers have been performing tasks in the Mykolaiv region. We have already cleared hundreds of hectares of land liberated from the occupiers. Unfortunately, the area is heavily contaminated and dangerous. Here, we frequently encounter PMN-2 antipersonnel mines, OZM mines, antitank mines, cluster munitions, and unexploded shells. The density of these hazards is high. Our department has full cooperation with the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration. We receive strong support from the head of the OVA, Vitaliy Kim, and work effectively with the Bashtanska District Administration and the Snihurivka Military Administration. Our office is located in Snihurivka. Many local residents are part of our team, and importantly, UDS pays taxes in Snihurivka, contributing millions of hryvnias to the local budget," said Artem Dudulyak, head of the Humanitarian Demining Department "Pivden."
In the case of signals for destruction/neutralization, the UDS Special Operations Demining Department is involved.
About the Head of the "Pivden" Humanitarian Demining Department:
🔹 Artem Dudulyak is a lawyer by profession. He worked as a furniture facades manager from 2013. From 2015 to 2018, he held various positions: sales floor administrator, technical manager, and claims manager. Then, for about a year, Artem worked as a steelmaker in the electric arc furnace at the Research Institute of Special Electrometallurgy at the E.O. Paton Institute of Electric Welding of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, where he managed a team of assistant steelmakers, organized the steel and alloy smelting process in electric furnaces, and performed routine maintenance. Before joining UDS, Artem worked at the demining operator "Patron Demining," where for over two years, he served as the team leader and head of operations for humanitarian demining. In 2023, he joined the UDS team and successfully completed training at the Interregional Center for Humanitarian Demining and Rapid Response of the State Emergency Service. Currently, he holds the position of head of the Humanitarian Demining Department "Pivden." Artem Dudulyak has experience in technical management, personnel management, and project management, which enables him to effectively lead humanitarian demining efforts at UDS.