Canadian NGO Mriya Aid Provides 3000 Explosive Ordnance Identification Guides to Ukrainian Deminers

The life-saving handbook provided by the Canadian NGO Mriya Aid to Ukrainian deminers. The flags are Ukrainian, Canadian and State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

Essential materials to protect Ukrainian deminers - Mine identification handbook and drone detection device

3000 copies of the "Mines" identification handbooks before distribution to Ukrainian deminers

Ukrainian Military, Emergency Services and Registered Demining Operators Receive Life-Saving Handbooks

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, March 5, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Canadian NGO Mriya Aid¹ provided 3000 copies of a Ukrainian-produced life-saving handbook to Ukrainian deminers who work to clear Ukraine of deadly mines, munitions and unexploded ordnance (UXO) that currently litters up to 30% of the territory of Ukraine. The handbook, entitled "Mines", is a comprehensive mine and munitions identification guide intended for professional deminers. It was provided to training centres, academies, and state agencies responsible for humanitarian and operational demining and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) across Ukraine. Deminers are EOD professionals who locate, remove and destroy mines, explosive remnants of war, and UXO. These unexploded hazards contaminate the land, threaten the safety of civilians, prevent refugees from returning home, and cause significant regional and national economic losses.

The handbook is the result of efforts and input from a wide network of experienced Ukrainian sappers and deminers working in EOD. Sappers are military deminers. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine in 2014, a small group of volunteers built up a large network of sappers across Ukraine who help to collect, compile and regularly update the content of this handbook. Several editions of the handbook have been printed, each consisting of the most up-to-date images and descriptions of mines and ordnance littering Ukraine. The handbook is considered by deminers and sappers in Ukraine to be an essential reference to have on hand, as it helps identify the UXO they find in the field. The editor’s pen name is Lisnyk (meaning “Forest steward” in Ukrainian) - a man known to few, but who has earned legendary status among sappers and deminers in Ukraine. The handbook is being translated to English for wider use in the EOD field, and many hope that the information in it will someday form the basis for an elaborated AI-supported digital guide.

Ukraine is the most mined country in the world, with over 146,000 square kilometers potentially mined or littered with deadly UXO. These hazardous areas of Ukraine are geographically diverse and larger than the size of most countries in the world. According to Ukraine’s Main Department of Mine Action, Civilian Protection & Environmental Safety², since the beginning of Russia’s large-scale invasion, demining units of the security and defence forces have located and destroyed 893,070 explosive devices. Meanwhile, operators undertaking humanitarian demining have located and neutralized 17,845 individual items of unexploded ordnance. But millions more remain in the ground, partly exposed, close to infrastructure and homes, or covered by vegetation or other debris.

The quantity, variety and complexity of mines and other UXO contaminating Ukraine is unprecedented. In addition to the types of mines and ordnance found across the globe, Ukrainian territories liberated from Russian occupation are rife with new munitions not seen elsewhere, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and booby-traps planted in people’s homes, gardens, orchards and forested areas. As drone warfare develops, tens of thousands of drone-dropped munitions that failed to function now lie in wait along the line of contact and far behind it. Many of the munitions, UXO, and mines are now hidden in areas that are impossible to survey or clear mechanically or with technology, and must be disposed of manually by sappers and deminers.

Mines and UXO create a devastating and often deadly hazard for humans and animals that might come across them. Over 1,000 incidents have been recorded in liberated territories, with 741 individuals injured and 322 killed, including 16 children. Additionally, thousands of soldiers, medics and others working to defend Ukraine have been killed or have lost limbs from mines and UXO. Extensive training, continuing education and the exchange of information is of utmost importance to keep sappers and deminers safe in clearing the land and in making it safe. Training in the identification of mines and ordnance is key to preventing injury and deaths of sappers, deminers, and EOD operators. Scattered on the ground, buried under the surface, covered by dirt or snow, and hidden by growing vegetation, the identification of UXO is not a simple task. A good guide can help even the most experienced deminer.

Mriya Aid organizes, funds and oversees International Mine Action Standards (IMAS³) EOD training programs for Ukrainian deminers and sappers, including specialized courses for instructors and team leaders. The NGO procures EOD equipment in Ukraine and abroad, and specializes in managing EOD Train and Equip programs for maximum efficiency and impact. The process includes finding donors and collaborating with multiple stakeholders and partners.

Mriya Aid is currently raising funds to equip 250 Ukrainian deminers with the handbook “Mines”, as well as with personal drone detectors that protect their lives and the lives of their colleagues. The drone detection devices warn deminers of approaching enemy drones deployed to kill or maim deminers. The detector warning allows deminers and their teams to get to safety and to continue their work once the danger has passed.

Lisnyk, the editor of the handbook says that, "Russian forces strike cities with cluster munitions, which, upon impact, leave a significant number of unexploded submunitions on the ground. Due to failure to self-destruct, these munitions become delayed-action land mines with unpredictable detonation times. These factors make it crucial to understand what mines and munitions used by Russian invaders look like and their key characteristics. This guide helps to identify different types of mines, unexploded ordnance, bobby traps, and so on.”

Lesya Granger
Mriya Aid Inc Org
info@mriyaaid.ca
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¹ http://www.mriyaaid.ca/
² https://www.facebook.com/nmaa.ukraine
³ http://www.mineactionstandards.org/