As world leaders and partners gather in Rome today for the Ukraine Recovery Conference to chart a path toward rebuilding the country, I want to share my experience from the ground – from a field littered with landmines and unexploded bombs.
My name is Nika. I have worked with MAG in Ukraine since 2023 and lead a demining team, but I never imagined this would be my path.
Before the war, my life was very different. I had never even heard of demining. I lived abroad and worked in the diving and tourism industries. I travelled the world, enjoyed life and everything it had to offer.
In early 2022, I moved back to Ukraine. I was looking forward to being home and spending more time with my family.
But just two months later, war broke out.
Nika Kokareva, MAG Team Leader
It was an incredibly stressful time. Like many others, I decided to leave and make my way to Poland, with plans to relocate to Ireland.
But something told me I needed to go back – that I couldn’t just leave. I knew I could contribute, in my own way, to defending my country.
Within two weeks, I was back home. I soon heard of a job as a deminer and decided this was how I could best serve my country.
Today, I lead a team of 11 men and women, who, every day, clear deadly explosives from the land.
Our days start at 6.30am and last until around 2pm. During this time, we work in fields searching for deadly items – cluster munitions, missiles and, of course, landmines.
The days are long, especially in the summer heat while wearing heavy protective gear. We must stay fully focused, knowing we are surrounded by explosive hazards.
Right now, my team and I are working in a field near a village where every building and home has been damaged. Before the war, 200 people lived there; now, only 20 remain. We work about 20 miles from the frontline, and we often hear explosions in the distance.
At night, we try to rest and prepare for the next day, but our sleep is constantly interrupted by sirens and alerts. It’s tiring, of course, but those moments also remind us why our work is so important. They fuel our determination to get back out there and do our job. Because we know too well the painful cost of not doing it.
I have seen with my own eyes the deadly and devastating effects a landmine has on a human being. I have witnessed the trauma experienced by those injured and the fear faced by families living with this reality.
This is what war does to ordinary people. Families are torn apart, lives and livelihoods are lost. They face countless risks every day.
As soon as fighting stops in an area, people want to return and rebuild as quickly as possible. That’s when the danger is greatest – when people dig through rubble and encounter unexploded bombs, or when children pick up what they think is a shiny toy, unaware it could explode at any moment.
That is why our risk education work is so vital. We provide people with the information and training they need to recognise and avoid these deadly hazards. We give people the knowledge to stay safe – and we know that knowledge saves lives.
Yet so many challenges remain. As bad as the contamination is in the areas we are clearing now, the situation on and behind the frontline – in areas occupied for over three years – is far worse because of the prolonged occupation. Even if the war ends today, we know our work will continue for many years to come.
But I want to be clear – despite all we have endured, we are not broken. Despite the destruction and the long road ahead, there remains a strong sense of community and moments of joy. That sense of togetherness keeps us going.
We also feel support from people around the world, which is so important to us. I hope we can all play our part, wherever we are, to speak up for and help protect the people of Ukraine.
Learn more about MAG's work in Ukraine here.
All images by MAG/Julia Kochetova
