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Land mines laid since the Russian invasion of 2022 are shaving more than $11 billion per year off of Ukraine's GDP, according to the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
A study by the institute and Ukraine's Economy Ministry also found that the mines have lowered Ukraine's exports by $8.9 billion a year and reduce regional tax collection by more than $1.1 billion a year, largely due to the temporary loss of agricultural land.
Some 25 per cent of the country, or more than 139,000 square kilometers, needs to be surveyed for mine clearance before it can return to productive use, said the report.
The number of sappers would have to rise to 10,000 from the current 3,000 to meet the government's goal of clearing 80% of the mined land within 10 years, with training per sapper costing as much as $6,000.
Even though the World Bank estimates fully demining Ukraine will cost as much as $35 billion, the financial gains would quickly outpace the costs, the report said.
"Should the funding needs for demining be met in full, it would take less than three and a half years for Ukraine to realise a return, just in terms of GDP," according to the report.
In a social media post, Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the country is stepping up the pace of demining as it increases its fleet of demining vehicles and develops new technology for mine clearance.
"In the coming days, we anticipate the certification of a fully Ukrainian-made demining machine," she said. "Additionally, we are developing technological solutions that will enable the use of robotic agricultural machinery for demining purposes in fields."
She added that the government and the United Nations Development Programme "are in the final stages of testing drones equipped with sensors for the remote detection of mines and other explosive remnants of war."
