OSCE donates bullet-proof vests, helmets to help Ukraine eliminate remnants of war

KYIV, 18 March 2011 - The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine donated 111 sets of bullet-proof vests and helmets to the country's Emergency Situations Ministry at a ceremony in Kyiv today.

The personal protective equipment will be used to ensure the safety of the pyrotechnic specialists of the Ministry while cleaning areas near the cities of Sevastopol, Kerch and Bila Tserkva contaminated by explosive remnants of war.

“Decades after the end of armed hostilities, there is still a risk to civilian lives in Ukraine in the areas where major battles took place,” said Ambassador Lubomir Kopaj, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.

“Today, we are handing over personal protective equipment to ensure the safety of personnel searching for and eliminating explosive remnants of war."

Last year, the OSCE PCU donated state-of-the-art detection equipment that enables experts to search for explosive ordnance up to 100 metres underwater and up to six metres underground. This equipment has been used to clear territories in Ukraine of unexploded ordnance such as bombs, rockets, hand grenades and artillery shells that pose a threat to the population and environment.  

These donations are part of an OSCE project to enhance the capacity of the Ministry to clear contaminated areas in a safe and effective way. Denmark, Germany, Ireland and the United States are financing the project.