The demand for sappers in Ukraine is growing: the number of specialists has increased sevenfold
The HALO Trust Ukraine, a humanitarian demining organization that has been active in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, has significantly expanded its activities. At the beginning of 2022, it had about 200 people, but now the staff has grown to 1,400 demining specialists and another 200 support workers. The head of the operational department of HALO Ukraine said this in an interview Delo.ua. This expansion is in response to the extraordinary demand for humanitarian demining specialists, which has increased sixfold compared to last year.
“Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we started with 200 people. By the end of 2023, we have already increased our personnel by more than 1,000 people. We currently have 1,400 employees.” – emphasized the head of the operational department of HALO Ukraine.
HALO Trust Ukraine also actively involves women in its team. Currently, women make up about 28% of those directly working in mined areas, i.e. 340 workers. They occupy different positions — from deminers to heads of departments responsible for demining entire regions. Among support workers, women make up 45%, or about 90 people.
Photo: delo.ua
By 2025, HALO Trust Ukraine plans to expand its staff by another 100 people and increase the number of mechanical demining teams by 15, bringing their total number to 35-40. This will allow covering larger areas that need demining.
HALO Trust’s work in Ukraine covers several key regions, including Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, Donetsk and Mykolaiv. Specialists of the organization search and mark explosive objects, providing this information to sappers for further disposal. In addition, the organization conducts information campaigns for the population regarding safe behavior in mined areas. Subsequently, the cleared land from explosives is given to the communities for use.
The HALO Trust is one of several international organizations working in Ukraine together with the Danish Demining Group and the Swiss Mine Action Fund (FSD). Also, Ukrainian state structures, such as the State Service for Emergency Situations (SES), as well as private companies that have received the appropriate licenses, are actively involved in demining.
