'Friends of Ukraine EOD' charity launched from Guernsey
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'Friends of Ukraine EOD' is an undertaking, whereby likeminded people, including those with a background in Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA), Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), and other Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) Risk Management join together to assist the ERW risk mitigation efforts on the ground inside Ukraine.
Russian and Ukrainian forces are expending a great deal of ammunition in the territory of the Ukraine. Much of this ordnance is delivered by aircraft, missiles or artillery and include large bombs, guided weapons and cluster munitions as well as conventional munition types, like infantry weapons. This ordnance has a rate of failure, in terms of failing to function by design. The items which fail to function then leave a deadly legacy for the population, whether there now, or returning in the future, this is an indiscriminate legacy of death! Therefore it is critically important we prepare as early as possible in dealing with the threat items, in such a way that those tasked with the job are equipped and prepared properly.
We have been training the State Emergency Services of Ukraine (SESU) for a number of years. Their role has been to deal with UXO and the explosive remnants of war in the east of Ukraine, along with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence (MOD) who have also been training in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) to international standards. The last course we conducted for the Ukrainian MOD & SESU was concluded in Montenegro in December 2021, so very recently. With plans to continue this capacity development of MOD/ SESU and the Police EOD teams in 2022. However, things have changed somewhat!
Friends of Ukraine EOD is currently being formed into a Guernsey registered charity, so that our status is humanitarian and charitable and not in any way commercial. We are already working, despite that, and our current thrust is two fold,
1. is to continue to act as advisors to the Ukranian's in providing a specialist referencing capability, where the teams on the ground come in contact with air dropped/ guided weapons or cluster munitions and we advise remotely on how best to deal with these items with what 'EOD tools' and other equipment they have to hand on the ground. This we have been doing now since the very start of the conflict.
2. is the collection of technical equipment from donors in the UK and Europe, where manufacturers of EOD specialist equipment are donating it to Friends of Ukraine EOD for shipment to the Ukraine via Poland, and into the hands of the emergency services. This first shipment will be sent out within the next week (from the UK).
Pictured: The charity logo.
The conflict in Ukraine will continue for some time, even if the majority of the country were to be occupied by Russia. The State Emergency services will continue to work either as an independent Ukraine or an occupied territory, so our mission would not change in terms of advising, supplying equipment or indeed increasing our involvement to include training either on the ground or in a third country. Typically, and in our experience, the attrition rate and eroding of the current EOD capability in the Ukraine will be significant, where those trained and equipped will be injured or killed when dealing with the tasks of rendering safe or moving unexploded ordnance.
Our objectives also include 'explosive ordnance risk education' projects inside Ukraine and we have people, who are qualified, volunteering (Ukrainians) preparing to deliver this education. We also have Ukrainian volunteers inside the Ukraine currently coordinating our activities.
Friends of Ukraine EOD is about direct action in a specialist area of expertise, one which we are very familiar with in many countries globally which have been the subject of conflict over the past decades.
