Most agricultural land in Ukraine is being cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance illegally because official government clearance queues stretch years into the future, according to estimates from local farmers.
Surveys of agricultural producers conducted by news outlet LIGA.net indicate that between 50% and 70% of all demining work on Ukrainian fields during 2023 and 2024 was performed outside official legal channels.
Ukraine currently operates a formal program managed by the Ministry of Economy and the Center for Humanitarian Demining that provides 100% compensation for agricultural land clearance costs. However, official inspection schedules are already booked years in advance, forcing growers to look for alternative solutions.
Agricultural producers say they cannot afford long delays because they must plant crops immediately to pay land lease fees to property owners and service ongoing debts. Deputy Minister of Economy for Demining Ihor Bezkaravainyi said that during the early period there was no humanitarian demining system or state program in place, creating the impression that clearance would never happen.
Black and grey market operators
The inability of growers to wait for government clearance has spawned a large shadow demining market divided into two main segments. The black market consists of individual self-proclaimed sappers who offer explosive clearance services directly to landowners in exchange for cash payments.
The secondary grey market includes specialized companies and experienced technician groups that operate without formal contracts or inclusion in official registries, often while undergoing lengthy state certification processes.
Desperate farmers have also turned to improvised clearance techniques on their own properties. Some agricultural operators have modified standard farm machinery by mounting heavy anti-mine rollers onto tractors sheathed in scrap metal armor.
Decades of clearance work ahead
Ukraine is widely recognized as one of the world's major agricultural exporters, supplying grain and vegetable oils to global markets. However, extensive landmine contamination following Russia's 2022 invasion has rendered millions of hectares of arable land unsafe for cultivation, placing heavy financial strain on rural communities.
United Nations assessments rank Ukraine as the most heavily mined country in the world. Under the National Strategy for Mine Action, the government has set an official target to restore 80% of war-affected lands to productive use by 2033.
Specialized industry experts caution that full land clearance will require significantly more time. Croatian demining equipment manufacturer DOK-ING estimates that complete clearance of contaminated terrain across Ukraine will take decades to finish.
