The Ukrainian economy will lose $800 million annually due to simple mined fields, according to Top Lead research.
"Ukrainian farmers have been suffering from Russian shelling for over a year. They suffer material losses, as explosive objects interfere with agricultural work. Destroyed military equipment, missiles and drones emit heavy metals, explosive substances and combustion products. Rockets and projectiles falling on the fields make it impossible to cultivate them, pollute the land, and fires destroy crops," the study stated.
According to experts' calculations, agricultural losses from a full-scale invasion, as of April 24, 2023, amounted to $8.7 billion, of which $6 billion - losses of agricultural machinery, $2 billion - lost or stolen products and resources, $0.5 billion - perennial crops, $0.3 billion – animals and aquaculture.
The area of mined fields has currently reached 8 million hectares, of which 6 million hectares are located in the occupied territories, 2 million hectares - in the liberated ones.
The research was carried out with the support of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, SP "Nibulon" LLC, "Adama Ukraine" LLC and the Polish publication Gazeta Wyborza.
As reported, the interdepartmental working group on humanitarian demining identified 470,000 hectares of land as priority for demining, 100,000 hectares of which are already ahead of scheduledemined