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This policy brief examines how land mine action underpins Ukraine’s reconstruction and economic renewal. It provides an overview of the current scale of contamination and the national humanitarian demining strategy. The brief also reviews international experience from countries around the world, discussing the economic recovery driven by demining and the economic efficiency of mine action. It documents significant variation in direct mine action costs across countries and contexts, complicating the assessment of these costs in the case of Ukraine. The brief also discusses the indirect costs arising from systemic inefficiencies in Ukraine’s demining effort, including fragmented governance, shortages of qualified personnel, outdated standards, and security constraints. It concludes that Ukraine’s success in transforming demining into a catalyst for recovery depends on effective coordination, data-driven planning, gender inclusion, and the adoption of best international practices.

Key points from the FREE Network Policy Brief

• Ukraine’s demining needs are enormous, with contamination still covering about 137,000 km² and costing an estimated USD 34–35 billion to fully address. This includes the need for tens of thousands of trained specialists—far more than the roughly 4,500 currently available.
• International experience shows that demining consistently boosts economic recovery by restoring agriculture, trade routes, transport networks, and safe mobility. Case studies from Afghanistan, Mozambique, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina demonstrate that clearing mines brings long-term social and economic dividends.
• Ukraine faces indirect costs from fragmented governance, inconsistent data, limited training capacity, and security constraints, all of which slow demining and increase overall costs. Without better coordination and modernized training and data systems, Ukraine risks delays that will hinder its long-term reconstruction.

Meet the author

: Researcher at the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE)

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