The Demining Capability Coalition is investing 22 million euros ($24.2 million) to supply pickups and heavy trucks for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The vehicles will be distributed across Kyiv’s Support Forces Command and State Special Transport Service to aid the government’s military and humanitarian mine-sweeping efforts following Russia’s invasion in 2022.
The upcoming fleet will be deployed to “liberated areas” in which Ukrainian sappers are already conducting demining activities.
Kyiv noted that the integration of the trucks is part of its defense agency’s broader strategy to help the country sustain its mine clearance operations until 2034.
The international demining consortium for Ukraine’s leader, Lithuania, committed about 15 million euros ($16.5 million) for the overall acquisition.
Sweden, the corporation’s latest member, pledged approximately 5 million ($5.5 million) for the project.
Demining Capability Coalition for Ukraine
The Lithuanian government first revealed plans to establish the Demining Capability Coalition for Ukraine in July 2023 in response to Moscow’s aggression.
Vilnius held the initial conference under the assembly in January 2024 with 19 participating nations.
“We are rallying a coalition for demining efforts with an aim to consolidate and coordinate the ongoing as well as planned assistance to Ukraine in this area,” Lithuanian Former Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas stated during the organization’s launch.
“The coalition is being assembled according to the ‘train and equip’ principle used in the training assistance for the Ukrainians carried out in Lithuania with Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and soon – Denmark.”
To date, the coalition is in partnership with more than 20 countries.
Other Minesweeping Support Efforts
The announcement of Ukraine’s new demining support trucks follows Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal’s plan in September to create a training center for sappers, increasing the number of associated countermeasure specialists and demining equipment production.
Simultaneously, the government received the first batch of Sentry anti-tank mines it purchased from Finland.
In July, a local foundation delivered pickup trucks to warfighters in Zaporizhzhya in addition to demining trucks it previously supplied to Kharkiv. The Japanese Ministry of Defence handed over anti-mine vehicles and machinery to Ukraine the same month.
Another Ukrainian charity delivered support vehicles and mine clearance devices to about 20 demining and engineering units of the armed forces in June 2023.