KYIV, Nov 6 – It is necessary to bring 80% of contaminated land back into economic use within 10 years, and to do so, Ukraine intends to leverage all innovative approaches and artificial intelligence (AI) tools at its disposal, which will have impact on mine clearance all over the world, First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko said in an interview with TIME.

"As of Nov. 1, at least 264 civilians had been killed by mines, and more than 830 have been maimed or injured since Russia's invasion. […] Officials say the number of landmine victims could reach 9,000 by 2030 if the problem isn't effectively addressed. […] The vast minefields have not only bogged down Ukraine’s military counteroffensive. They've endangered six million civilians and rendered parts of the nation's most valuable farmland unusable, impacting both Ukraine's economy and the global food supply," the minister said.