UDS Participated in the Meeting of the Sumy Oblast Headquarters of the Sumy OVA Regarding Support for the Agricultural Sector in 2025

Today, UDS participated in an online meeting of the Sumy Oblast Headquarters of the Sumy Oblast Military Administration, dedicated to supporting the implementation of agricultural work in the region in 2025. During the event, challenges related to humanitarian demining of lands and mechanisms for state compensation of expenses for these activities were discussed.

The event was initiated and chaired by the First Deputy Head of the Sumy OVA, Oleksandr Maslak, with the participation of UDS Commercial Director Serhiy Simonov, directors of the Department of Agrarian and Industrial Development and the Department of Civil Protection of the Regional State Administration, the State Emergency Service, local government leaders, the State Border Guard Service, and regional agricultural producers.

According to Oleksandr Maslak, the First Deputy Head of the Sumy OVA, considering security restrictions, the total area of land currently available for humanitarian demining is only 55.5 hectares of agricultural land. However, after the war, the land fund of the region requiring humanitarian demining will exceed 150,000 hectares.

In his speech, UDS Commercial Director Serhiy Simonov spoke about the "Procedure for the Use of Funds Allocated in the State Budget for Compensating Expenses for Humanitarian Demining of Agricultural Land."This Procedure was approved by Government Resolution No. 284 on March 12, 2024, and provides for compensation of up to 100% of the demining cost.

He emphasized that according to the requirements of this Procedure, "the fact of land contamination with explosive objects must be confirmed by the Mine Action Center based on the results of a non-technical survey conducted by a certified mine action operator in accordance with the legislation."

As a result of this working meeting, UDS contact details were provided for further cooperation and to offer local agricultural producers the opportunity to request non-technical survey services and other demining activities.

We are grateful to the Sumy Regional Military Administration for the invitation and cooperation.