Ministry of Defence opens demining training and testing ground

This week, the Ukrainian Training and Testing Complex (UTTC) was opened in the Lviv region — a training and testing ground for the development of technologies in the fields of mine action, civil protection, and environmental safety, the Ministry of Defence reports.

To mark the opening, the facility hosted demonstrations of engineering equipment, remotely operated vehicles, detection systems, training detonations, displays of reconnaissance drones, and applied testing at five specialised zones — from mechanised demining equipment to environmental assessment of treated areas.

The site is equipped with routes and obstacle courses for light and heavy mechanised demining vehicles, test areas for unmanned aerial and ground robotic systems, metal detectors, specialised demining equipment, civil protection infrastructure, and environmental monitoring devices.

UTTC is intended to become a centre for consolidating expertise in mine action, conducting scientific research and testing, and developing and implementing innovative projects in these fields.

The idea of establishing a test site for new demining technologies was first announced by the Ministry of Defence in February 2025. According to government and expert estimates, Ukraine will need around 10,000 sappers over the next five years to clear territories contaminated with Russian mines. The potentially mine-contaminated area in Ukraine is estimated at approximately 139,000 square kilometres.