US DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesperson for the US Department of State
For immediate release
July 16, 2024
NOTICE TO THE MEDIA
On July 16, the US State Department handed over new demining equipment worth $5.8 million to the State Special Transport Service of Ukraine (STSTS) to support humanitarian demining operations in territories liberated from Russian forces.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has contaminated large areas of the country with landmines and unexploded ordnance, posing serious threats to civilian security and hampering Ukraine’s economic recovery. In response to this, the Government of Ukraine recruited thousands of new sappers from the State Security Service and other departments.
The transferred equipment included: four platforms for demining GCS-100 with remote control and attached equipment for working with various explosive objects and environments; spare parts; mobile maintenance stations; as well as trucks, trailers and cranes for transporting machines to the terrain. Four armored excavators, vehicles and personal protective equipment were also transferred.
The handover took place following DSST employees successfully completed a mechanical demining training conducted by Tetra Tech in western Ukraine as part of a joint US-Canadian initiative. Since October 2022, as part of this joint initiative, 1,076 Ukrainian state sappers have been trained to acquire various basic, intermediate and advanced technical demining skills. The US has committed US$118 million to the initiative, while Canada has contributed CAD 12.5 million.
Since February 2022, the United States has committed more than $182 million to humanitarian demining efforts in Ukraine, providing training, providing equipment to the Government of Ukraine, and supporting the deployment of contractor and NGO demining teams in nine regions. This support helped displaced communities to return home, farmers to their fields, and brave Ukrainian sappers to acquire the necessary skills and equipment to make their country safe and contribute to its economic recovery.
For more information, please visit website US Department of State Bureau of Military and Political Affairs or contact the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, Bureau of Military and Political Affairs at pm-cpa@state.gov and follow us on Twitter @StateDeptPM.
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