Ukraine update: Helping reclaim the land

Nearly five years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, millions of explosive devices continue to threaten communities across Ukraine. HALO is working to identify and clear hazardous land, restore access to farmland and essential infrastructure, and give people the knowledge they need to stay safe.

Every area cleared opens a path forward. Farmers can return to their fields. Families can begin to reclaim their homes and communities. And people can take another step toward a safer future.

Although fighting continues along relatively static frontlines, explosive devices have been placed across farmland, neighborhoods, roads, and other areas where people live and work.

For many Ukrainians, the fear of encountering a mine remains part of everyday life. Parents may worry about where their children can safely play. Farmers may be unable to return to land their families depend on. Roads and other essential areas can remain out of reach.

Yet Ukrainians continue to show remarkable determination to reclaim their land and rebuild their lives. HALO teams are working alongside communities to identify hazardous areas, clear explosive ordnance, and safely return land to the people who need it.

As of June 2026, HALO teams had mostly completed the initial survey of areas outlined by Ukraine’s National Mine Action Center (NMAC). Work is now expanding into additional areas, helping identify and prioritize land for future clearance.

Since February 2022, HALO has released nearly 6,000 acres of land, including more than 2,000 football fields-worth of agricultural land. Agricultural land accounts for 45% of all land HALO has released since the full-scale invasion began.

For farmers, that means being able to return to the fields, grow crops, and support their families. For communities, it means restoring livelihoods, economic activity, and food security.

Clearing land is only part of keeping communities safe. People also need the knowledge to recognize explosive hazards and know what to do if they encounter one.

With support from GlobalGiving, HALO Ukraine delivered four Train the Trainer sessions for teachers from at least five oblasts. Educators learned how to teach explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) in their communities and practiced delivering the lessons themselves.

Around 1,773 people benefited from these trainings as educators shared safety information with their communities, extending HALO’s reach far beyond its own teams.

GlobalGiving has also supported HALO with solar panels and outdoor sports equipment at mobile accommodation camps, along with backup power supplies that help strengthen energy resilience, particularly during the winter months.

As Ukraine looks toward recovery, building local capacity is becoming an increasingly important part of HALO’s work. HALO is partnering with organizations across the country to strengthen local expertise, advance mine action priorities, and support broader recovery efforts.

There is still much work to be done. But every area surveyed, every mine cleared, and every person reached with safety information brings Ukraine closer to a future where communities can safely reclaim their land and rebuild their lives.

For HALO, recovery begins with safe ground. And with the support of partners like GlobalGiving, more Ukrainians can begin to imagine what comes next.

HALO is grateful to GlobalGiving for its flexible support and commitment to communities affected by conflict. Together, this support is helping make safe ground, renewed livelihoods, and a more hopeful future possible.