The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine has fined International Demining Group LLC and PSM Ukraine Group LLC a total of 4,718,007 UAH for bid rigging in public tenders for landmine clearance services on agricultural land.
Following its meeting on August 27, the state competition regulator ordered International Demining Group LLC to pay nearly 4.17 million UAH, while PSM Ukraine Group LLC was fined 549,120 UAH after finding the firms engaged in anti-competitive concerted actions that eliminated competition.
The enforcement action relates to procurement organized in 2025 by the Humanitarian Demining Centre. The state entity held 12 auctions for demining services on farmland with a combined expected value of more than 150 million UAH.
Public Importance of Demining Tenders
The Antimonopoly Committee stated that detecting antitrust violations in the demining sector carries special public importance. Clearing land is a required condition for restoring Ukrainian agriculture, ensuring food security, and restarting economic activity in affected regions.
Demining work is partially funded by international partners, including through the European Union Ukraine Facility program. The regulator said ensuring real competition during procurement is critical not only for using purchasers' funds effectively but also for the proper expenditure of international recovery assistance.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine is the state agency tasked with protecting economic competition and enforcing antitrust legislation across public and private procurement. The European Union Ukraine Facility is a dedicated financial mechanism created to support Ukraine's economic resilience, recovery, and modernization efforts.
Impact on Farmers and Land Recovery
The regulator's action comes as Ukrainian farmers face ongoing hazards from working on fields that have been cleared unofficially. Agricultural land lacking a formal demining certificate falls out of legal economic circulation, leading to potential legal troubles and obstacles when applying for bank loans or selling land.
During 2025, 31,600 hectares of land were either demined or returned to farmers for operational use following non-technical surveys. The economic benefit from returning those fields to agricultural production is estimated at nearly 1 billion UAH.
