UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, May 24—The British-American humanitarian organization The HALO Trust, which focuses on demining, is clearing 29 plots of land in the Kharkiv region, the organization’s press service told Gwara Media.

Steven Wallis, regional operation manager for demining in the Kharkiv region, said that they have already cleared some of these areas of mines and are now awaiting state quality control. After passing the inspection, these plots of land will also be handed over to local communities. In addition, the organization plans to demine 159 more plots of land in the Kharkiv region.

In May 2024, The HALO Trust demined siх plots of land in the Chuhuiv and Izium districts and handed them back to the local communities.

According to the organization, the Kharkiv region is the most contaminated with explosive remnants of war. These are the first areas that have been demined by The HALO Trust in the region. The deminers cleared four plots of land in Petrivske and two in Pechenihy, which amounted to over 120,000 square meters.

After the Russian occupation, more than 570,000 hectares of land in the Kharkiv region need to be inspected for mines and explosive devices. About 1.2 million hectares are considered to be contaminated. According to Oleh Syniehubov, 138 sapper teams are working on demining the region—and, to accelerate the process, another 300 are needed.

Update from June 5, 11:39 a.m.: The Halo Trust’s regional operation manager’s name is Steven Wallis, not Stephen Wallace.

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  • On May 1, at 12:10 a.m., a tractor hit an explosive device near the village of Hlynske, Izium district of Kharkiv region, reported the Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov. The explosion injured a 46-year-old driver.