Ukraine

Extensive use of cluster munitions by Russian forces continued in 2025 and into 2026. Extensive use of drones to drop various types of weapons, including submunitions, was also reported as a pervasive and growing threat in Ukraine, marking a pivotal change in the nature of contamination. Due to adapted national guidelines and greater acceptance of cancellation by the national authorities in 2025, the amount of cluster munition-contaminated area released through non-technical survey (NTS) increased dramatically, with cancellation of cluster munition-contaminated areas alone in 2025 representing more than 14 times the cancellation of all explosive ordnance (EO)-contaminated areas in 2024.Areas contaminated with all types of EO, covering 7.01km2, were released through cancellation during 2024. Email from Colonel Ruslan Berehulia, NMAA
Secretariat, 9 May 2025.

According to IMSMA data, clearance of areas suspected or confirmed as contaminated with cluster munition remnants (CMR) increased almost fourfold compared to 2024,According to IMSMA data provided by the Government of Ukraine, 41.40km² of areas suspected or confirmed to contain CMR were cleared in Ukraine in 2025, including 38.40km², which were ultimately found to contain no CMR (and 3km², which did contain CMR). Email from Government of Ukraine, 14 July 2026. Mine Action Review has therefore taken the figure for clearance given by international NGO operators in 2025—more than 4.19km2—as the national total and reduction through technical survey more than doubled. This was due to an increase in demining capacity, including of personnel, mechanical assets, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and remote sensing technologies, as Ukraine continues to scale up its mine action programme in response to Russia’s war of aggression and the consequent heavy contamination. In December 2025, Ukraine launched its Ground Rehabilitation through Innovation and Technology (GRIT) system, a digital platform for planning, prioritisation, and monitoring of humanitarian demining, which has been described as “one of the most groundbreaking areas in mine action today.”Presentation by Paul Heslop, Senior Mine Action Advisor to the United Nations (UN) Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator, UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) in Ukraine, “From Hazard to Human Outcomes: Ukraine’s Explainable, Data-Driven Prioritisation with ‘Ground Rehabilitation through Innovation Technologies (GRIT)’”, Side event, 29th International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors and United Nations Advisers (NDM-UN29), Geneva, 22 April 2026.

• Mine Action Review recognises the extremely challenging circumstances Ukraine faces following the war of aggression launched by Russia in February 2022. Nevertheless, in the interest of the protection of civilians, Mine Action Review supports universal adherence to and full compliance with the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) and calls on both Russia and Ukraine to immediately halt all use of cluster munitions and accede to the CCM as a matter of priority.
• In the event that Ukraine does use cluster munitions, it should maintain strict records of the number of munitions used and the point target data for each cluster munition strike.
• To the extent possible, while recognising wartime constraints, martial law, and the risk of explosive storage facilities being targeted during conflict, Ukraine should expedite permission for operators to use explosives in clearance and destruction operations as well as subsequent accreditation to conduct explosive ordnance disposal (EOD).
• Ukraine should continue to prioritise efforts to increase quality management (QM) capacity.
• Ukraine should accelerate efforts underway to review and clarify sub-surface clearance requirements for surface hazards in order to improve efficiency.

Click here to download the full "Clearing Cluster Munition Remnants 2026" report for Ukraine.