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Mine & UXO Disposal Project


Through our work in the liberated territories of Ukraine, we constantly encounter mines and UXO (unexploded munitions). The Russian army mined fields, villages, hedgerows, churches, graveyards, playgrounds and schools. Thousands of Russian rockets and artillery shells landed in Ukraine and did not explode; these unexploded munitions are as dangerous as mines and litter streets and fields everywhere. A recent report in the Washington Post estimated that it will take over 700 years to de-mine Ukraine at the current pace. The Sunflower Project is working on four initiatives to help rid the country of mines and UXO.  

 

Project #1 is conducting aerial surveys of suspected hazardous areas throughout the liberated territories of Ukraine. By analyzing our drone imagery with cutting-edge artificial intelligence, we can spot many types of munitions without having to put lives at risk. The data we gather is being made available to EOD teams and local communities free of charge. As of December 1, 2025, our small team has surveyed over 3000 hectares (7400 acres) of territory across the Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Kyiv regions of Ukraine, and cataloged over 8900 pieces of ERW. We are currently working on our organizational accreditation for conducting Non-Technical Surveys on the territory of Ukraine. This will allow us to officially participate in the land release process. The accreditation process is expensive, and we could use your help to fund it! Click here for details.

Project #2 is education. We have teamed up with a number of EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) experts who are offering training for de-mining workers, volunteers and regular citizens. Our purpose is to improve and modernize the techniques of local de-miners and raise awareness of mines and UXO across the community. We hope to save many lives through education.

Project #3 is 3D printing replicas of Russian mines and UXO. These realistic replicas will be used to educate EOD technicians and volunteers about the details of operation and disposal of UXO. Our replicas will mimic the real ordinance in minute detail, including triggers that use audible signals to indicate mishandling of the unit.

Project #4 is the production of de-mining robots to be made available free of charge to EOD technicians in Ukraine. We already have working prototypes and now need to move to assembly line production. We estimate that we can build 10 robots per month at a cost of about $10,000 per robot.  See our Pirate Robot page for details.

 
Please consider donating to our de-mining initiatives!

*We are a United States 501c3 Nonprofit, tax exempt organization operating as a Public Charity under the status 170(b)(1)(A)(iv), with the specific purpose of providing emergency and relief aid on an international basis.