US Awards $47.6 Mln To Demine Explosive Devices From Civilian Areas In Ukraine

The U.S. Government has awarded $47.6 million to demine explosive devices that remain in civilian areas in Ukraine as a result of attack by Russian forces.

The Department awarded $47.6 million to Tetra Tech, Inc. of Pasadena, California to provide urgent humanitarian demining assistance to Ukraine. Under the terms of the project, Tetra Tech will strengthen the Government of Ukraine’s capacity to locate and remove landmines, unexploded and abandoned ordnance, improvised explosive devices, and other explosive hazards from civilian areas.

Tetra Tech will train the Government of Ukraine demining and EOD teams to international standards and provide them with the tools necessary to do their jobs. The project also supports deploying additional clearance teams and explosive ordnance risk education teams through the local non-governmental organization Ukrainian Deminers Association.

This project forms part of the $91.5 million in demining assistance that the Department will provide over the coming year to help the Government of Ukraine address the urgent humanitarian challenges posed by explosive remnants of war created by Russia’s invasion.

Russia’s indiscriminate attacks have littered massive swaths of the country with landmines, unexploded ordnance, and improvised explosive devices. These explosive hazards block access to farmland, impede reconstruction efforts, prevent displaced people from returning to their homes, and continue to kill and maim innocent Ukrainian civilians. The Government of Ukraine estimates that 160,000 square kilometers of its land, which is roughly the size of Virginia, Maryland, and Connecticut combined, may be contaminated.

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