How Technology & Passion Are Saving Lives in Ukraine
By Tord Strømdal (DEMINE Foundation) & Simon Bailey (T-Kartor)
In a world that seems to be growing more complex by the day, technology has the power to simplify, to heal, and even to save lives. Nowhere is this more evident than in Ukraine, a country where 30% of the land is contaminated with deadly landmines and unexploded ordnance.
For the children playing outside, the farmers cultivating their fields, and the rescue workers trying to save lives, this silent, invisible threat is ever-present. But there is hope—hope born from innovation, collaboration, and a shared mission to create a safer world.
We are DEMINE Foundation and T-Kartor. Our organizations have joined forces in a mission that is not just about clearing landmines, but about restoring communities, sustaining life, and creating a safer, more hopeful future for millions.
The Urgency of Now
DEMINE Foundation was created as a response to the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine and had one goal: to eradicate landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) from Ukraine and other conflict zones. In Ukraine, landmines are not remnants of past conflicts; they are an active threat that endangers civilians every day all over the country.
With current technology and methods, clearing the estimated 174,000 square kilometers of contaminated land in Ukraine would take over 750 years—a timeline we simply cannot accept. Better technological alternatives exist but are horrifically expensive, rendering them practically useless. So, we set out to create a drone-based, AI-powered detection platform – using low-cost, commercially available technology to detect and map these deadly devices.
With modern drone technology, modern sensors, and modern artificial intelligence being cheap and powerful, we simply set out to make this a reality. But while our vision is realistic, we constantly face a significant challenge: time. Developing the necessary tools and systems from the ground up would take years—years we couldn't afford as more lives were lost daily.
A Partnership Born from Shared Values
This is where T-Kartor entered the picture. As a leader in geospatial intelligence and mapping technology, T-Kartor shared our belief in the power of technology to drive humanitarian progress. Their expertise in developing precise, real-time maps and managing multidimensional spatial data was exactly what we needed to accelerate our mission.
Together, we've merged DEMINE's cutting-edge mine detection platform with T-Kartor's advanced geospatial solutions. This partnership shaved at least one year off of our development time, allowing us to bring life-saving tools into the field much, much faster.
Technology Meets Humanity
At its core, this partnership is not about technology—it's about people. It's about the farmers who are prevented from farming their lands, it's about the rescue workers who are killed or wounded by explosives when doing their jobs, and it's about people being unable to return to their homes out of fear of booby-traps. It's simply about returning the Ukrainian land to its rightful users, the people of Ukraine.
With Demine's landmine detection data being fed into T-Kartor's NATO-classified mapping technology, we will be able to map and present landmine data in the perfect system. The data can be communicated in real-time to deminers on the ground, allowing them to plan and perform demining efforts more efficiently and safely. The impact is immediate: more land is being cleared, more lives are being saved, and the path to recovery is becoming shorter for communities across Ukraine.
The Power of Collaboration
The strength of this partnership lies in our shared commitment to humanitarian causes.
At DEMINE, we are a diverse team of volunteer contributors: machine learning experts, software developers, 3D model specialists, EOD professionals, unmanned platform developers, and field operatives with on-the-ground experience from Ukrainian minefields. We are donating our time, knowledge, and resources because we believe in the restoration of Ukraine.
T-Kartor brings a similar ethos to the table. Their history of supporting projects that span disaster response, defense, and public safety reflects their deep commitment to using technology for good. Together, we are creating a model for how technology and collaboration can meet the urgent needs of post-conflict zones globally.
Looking Ahead
While our initial focus is on Ukraine, this partnership has the potential to extend far beyond its borders. Landmines are a global problem, affecting communities from Angola to Vietnam, where the financial cost of mine clearance is simply too high.
Our efforts in Ukraine will serve as a blueprint for speeding up demining operations worldwide, ensuring that the technology we develop here can be adapted and deployed in other conflict zones.
We are also committed to training local teams and providing them with the skills and knowledge needed to utilize these advanced tools effectively. By empowering local deminers, we are not only speeding up the process of land clearance but also building a sustainable future for these communities.
A Call to Action
While the invasion in Ukraine may feel like a lifetime ago in other parts of the world, it is still a very real, very serious, and very urgent situation for those living through it on a daily basis.
The challenge to save these innocent lives continues to grow more complex by the day, which is why it is so crucial, now more than ever, for anyone who can lend a hand with such efforts.
Our work has the potential to make an enormous impact, but we cannot do it alone. We need your support—whether it's through sharing our story, donating resources, or simply spreading awareness and keeping Ukraine on the agenda. Together, we can make a difference in post-conflict areas, giving people the safety and security they deserve.
We invite you to join us in this mission. With every step we take, we are not just clearing landmines but clearing the path to a better future for Ukraine and beyond.
Let's use technology to serve humanity. Let's work together to save lives.
For more information on how you can support our efforts, visit https://www.deminefoundation.com/
