Ukraine

Problem

Since the start of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014, the UN estimates that over 1.5 million people have been displaced from their homes and a further 0.8 million people continue to live in need of humanitarian assistance along the contact line.

The use of anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines, cluster munitions and improvised explosive devices during the conflict have taken a heavy toll, with at least 250 people killed and 470 injured by explosive remnants of war since mid-2014 according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Since December 2015, there has been an average of over 50 casualties per month from mines and improvised devices, based on news reports.

In addition to the direct human toll, mines and other explosive remnants of war are slowing the recovery of areas which are now beyond the frontline, blocking access to fields for farmers, preventing the return of displaced families and obstructing the repair of damaged infrastructure.

The full scope of contamination in Ukraine is not yet known, and the conflict is ongoing, but it is likely that many years of work will be required to complete clearance.

Solution

In 2016, HALO Trust teams began demining work in government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions in coordination with the Ukrainian government and international organisations. During the course of the year this clearance capacity is set to expand as more local deminers are trained.

Survey teams are also conducting non-technical survey to identify and mark hazardous areas. When this process is completed it will provide a clearer picture of remaining contamination and assist in the planning and prioritisation of clearance.

HALO is grateful for the support of the United Kingdom, Norway, the European Union, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands so far in establishing operations in Ukraine. Over the coming year HALO will need to supplement its manual clearance capacity with mechanical support to assist in clearing areas contaminated with building rubble.

Next Steps

The HALO Trust registered in Ukraine in 2015 and is currently preparing to assist humanitarian demining efforts.

The Team

Yuri Shahramanyan

Programme Manager

Yuri joined The HALO Trust in 2002. He started his career as HALO Nagorno Karabakh's data and mapping specialist, later worked as Operations Officer, and now holds the position of Programme Manager. In addition to his roles at HALO NK, Yuri also spent two and a half years with HALO Mozambique, initially as the Maputo Location Manager and then as Programme Manager, and six months managing operations for HALO Somaliland. Yuri is married with three children.

Nick Torbet

Operations Manager

Nick arrived in Ukraine in July 2016, having previously been HALO's Programme Manager in Laos. He is the operational lead for over 100 staff and is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of the Programme's operations in Eastern Ukraine. Before HALO he served as a British Army Officer for over ten years, specializing in Explosive Ordnance Disposal. He enjoys long walks on the beach and patting dogs!

Giorgi Gogiashvili

Mechanical Officer

Giorgi joined HALO in September 2008 as a team leader in Georgia, then moved to Africa as Mechanical Officer in Mozambique where he oversaw the completion of the last known minefield in that country (a technically difficult task involving multiple mechanical assets). In 2016 he was promoted to Clearance Manager in Ukraine responsible for day to day oversight of all HALO's clearance tasks in the eastern border conflict region. Giorgi has also been to Afghanistan and Cambodia with HALO for WAD clearance and Land Rover repair respectively. In 2017 he was specifically chosen to deploy to Angola to lead the start-up of mechanical tilling operations. Before joining HALO Giorgi worked for the Georgian Government as a forest ranger. Giorgi is an avid vintner and farmer.

Patrick Thompson

Survey Manager

Patrick is from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He joined HALO in summer 2014, having spent the previous year working in security sector reform in Lebanon and Jordan. Not long out of university, he has gone from studying law in England to managing HALO's survey operations in Eastern Ukraine in the span of two years, having recently concluded Field Officer training in Cambodia. He previously worked as the Logistics Officer in Mozambique (where he could often be found exploring the mountains and hills of Manica province when not packing containers).

Belinda Vause

Trainee Field Officer

Belinda joined the HALO Trust in 2016 and is currently undergoing Operations training in Cambodia. Before joining HALO Belinda was a scientist, conducting, communicating and project managing research projects. Her areas of speciality were sustainable fisheries management and baseline studies to monitor the effect of climate change in Antarctica's marine environment. Belinda has a BSc from The Univeristy of Liverpool.