“By joint efforts, we must demine the territory of Ukraine in order to become safe for the whole European family,” — Igor Klymenko
This was emphasized by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine during a meeting with the head of the Foreign Policy Instruments Service of the European Commission Peter Wagner.
Today, October 4, a delegation of the Foreign Policy Instruments Service headed by Director Peter Wagner arrived at the Ministry of Internal Affairs to discuss the issue of demining and further support of Ukraine. Rolf Holmbo, Head of the EU Advisory Mission on Reforming the Civil Security Sector of Ukraine, also took part in the meeting.
At the beginning of the event, the Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Igor Klymenko thanked the European partners for the comprehensive support of our country against the background of a full-scale Russian invasion:
“The fact that the European delegation visited us once again indicates a high level of trust in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. I would like to thank the European Union for all the assistance given to our country during these 19 months of full-scale invasion. This support gives us the strength and inspiration to face a strong enemy and promptly solve those problems that have arisen with us because of the war. We are constantly checking our cooperation clock for maximum results.”
In turn, the head of the European Commission's Foreign Policy Instruments Service, Peter Wagner, noted the courage and steadfastness of Ukrainian colleagues in this war and stressed that Ukraine, as a member of the European family, will continue to receive all necessary assistance, including in the issue of demining.
“I am very happy to be in Ukraine again, despite the constant attacks from Russia. The other day we visited the settlements of Kharkiv and Kiev region, which were under Russian occupation. And we are impressed by your steadfastness and the resilience of law enforcement officers working in the de-occupied territories. The army, police, rescuers and local residents show real strength. And this gives us confidence that what we are doing is helping people and bringing them back home,” said Peter Wagner, head of the EU Foreign Policy Instruments Service.
Igor Klimenko noted that the density of mining regions differs and depends on the period of occupation of settlements, because the longer Russian troops were in a particular territory, the more difficult it is to deport them:
“At present, the territory of Kharkiv region needs thorough work on demining, because the occupiers have been there for more than half a year. The Russian army was afraid of the offensive of the Armed Forces, so the minesweeping was chaotic and not systematic. In Izyum we encountered a large amount of ammunition. Currently, the area around Izyum has been mined. And to this day, the enemy continues to attack the Izyum area, and this, in turn, does not allow the units of the State Emergency Service to perform the functions of demining in full.”
The Minister of Internal Affairs said that currently the main body of anti-mine activities is the Ministry of Defense, which carries out combat demining directly in the area of hostilities. However, after the end of the war, the main body of anti-mining activities will be the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the department is already preparing for this.
“Our international partners are well aware that without innovation and fruitful cooperation, we will devalue our territories for a long time. To do this, we need to develop a 5-10 year plan for demining, to understand the number of necessary equipment and specialists. Currently, the biggest problem is the cleaning of fields and water areas,” said Igor Klymenko.
For his part, Peter Wagner noted that the European Union understands these problems and considers them a task for the entire European family. He stressed that they, together with partners, are working on a clear strategy to act in the same direction and to help Ukraine even more effectively in the issue of demining:
“We as the EU have added to the list of our activities the purchase and supply of necessary equipment for Ukraine. And we strive to do this in strict accordance with your demining needs. And therefore, our colleagues must constantly be in contact in order to promptly know about the needs of Ukraine. We perfectly understand how complex these solutions are, because we want to provide you with better quality equipment. We are making every effort to do that.”
At the end, the parties discussed plans for the next meeting in Zagreb at the conference on demining of Ukraine. In particular, the Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Igor Klymenko announced the presentation of a comprehensive strategy for cleaning Ukraine of explosive objects.
Department of Communications of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
