58 In August 2023, much of the media surrounding the war in Ukraine was focused on an incipient counteroffensive, aimed at retaking occupied territories, including the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. By December, however, media and analysts judged the reprisal a failure, with only a handful of villages recaptured, and many noted how the Ukrainian troops seemed to advance far slower than predicted. While Russian artillery, aviation and UAVs played a huge part in hindering Ukrainian advancements, the biggest culprit was landmines, which slowed them down, leaving them exposed. Today, Ukraine is the most heavily landmined country on Earth: as of writing, around 131,000 km2 of its area (roughly the size of Greece, and slightly larger than the US state of Mississippi) is effectively inaccessible due to landmine contamination. This includes 26,000 km2 of non-occupied farmland, threatening Ukraine’s food security and prospects for post-war economic wellness. Due to this problem, Ukraine established the 10-year National Mine Action Strategy, and it is also why V’yacheslav ‘Slava’ Shvaydak, a lieutenant in the armoured division, founded Dropla. Headquartered in Odense, Denmark, the company developed some of its technological IP as part of the Odense Robotics StartUp Fund and incubator, co-located with the Danish Technological Institute. It also has engineering facilities in Ukraine and the US. Dropla has drawn worldwide attention for its multifaceted and highly tailored demining strategy, combining UAVs, UGVs, sensors, AI and augmented reality (AR) systems to realise its shared dream of not only a mine-free Ukraine, but potentially a whole world without landmines. Now CEO of Dropla, Shvaydak tells us: “One might not think landmines should still be a problem in 2025 – in the age of AI, autonomous vehicles and high-speed Rory Jackson examines a solution for the autonomous surveying, detection and clearance of landmines in Ukraine Dropla is combining UAVs, UGVs, augmented reality and a range of different sensors to slash the cost and time associated with de-mining (All images courtesy of Dropla) February/March 2025 | Uncrewed Systems Technology
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