Estonia sends demining center to Ukraine

Estonia sent a nine-trailer mobile demining camp to Ukraine this weekend to help clear ordinances threatening civilian lives, hindering economic development and reconstruction efforts.
Over the past three years, Ukraine has become the most mined country in the world and approximately 30 percent of its territory is mined today.
"At the current pace of demining, it would take 700 years to clear it. Therefore, every bit of additional aid will make Ukraine safer, faster," Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said in a statement.
The center, destined for a humanitarian demining unit in the Zhytomyr Region, is a first-of-its-kind collaborative between the Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV) and the Estonian Rescue Association.
In Ukraine, police and rescue service deminers carry out most of the work which often takes place far from large population centers with little infrastructure to ensure safe conditions.

The new camp consists of nine trailers with built-in headquarters, sleeping quarters, a washroom with a toilet and shower, a kitchen, and equipment and repair rooms.
All trailers are equipped with air conditioning and a heat pump. The campus also has Starlink devices for internet use and a special trailer for a generator to ensure continuous operation in areas without reliable electricity.
"Considering Ukraine's need to move to the mined areas quickly, we proposed, together with the Rescue Association, the idea of a mobile modular camp, consisting of specially outfitted trailers to accommodate a 44-member demining team," said Margus Gering, head of cooperation and development for Ukraine at ESTDEV.
"This is a flexible, cost-effective solution. Transporting the trailers does not require a special vehicle; they can be transported using existing vehicles."
The Estonian company Alro Trailers manufactured the trailers after winning the €365,000 public procurement. Volunteers from the Estonian Rescue Association transported the trailers to Ukraine.

Piia Kallas, head of the Estonian Rescue Association and project advisor, said the mobile demining campus will help Ukrainian police officers move more efficiently in war zones.
"The assistance sent by Estonians allows police officers to accommodate large demining units in crisis centers and areas near the front, saving time and ensuring their mobility in case of danger," she said.
"There is no mobile combined working-and-living environment of this type in Estonia, which is why Ukrainians' feedback on the product's functioning is important, allowing us to create a similar solution in Estonia if necessary," Kallas added.
ESDTEV's executive director, Klen Jäärats said this project will increase the operational efficiency and efficacy of humanitarian demining units in Ukraine and improve the deminers' living and working conditions during missions.
"Landmines are silent killers, and explosives planted during the war can remain hidden in the ground for decades. This widespread contamination significantly complicates the rebuilding and restoration of the areas most affected by the conflict. Ukrainians face a long-term demining challenge, and Estonia is ready to help make Ukraine safe for its people again, so the economy can recover and reconstruction can move forward," he said.
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Editor: Helen Wright