France transfers six advanced demining systems to Ukraine: part of large-scale assistance worth 200 million euros

As part of a grant agreement signed in the summer of 2024, Ukraine will soon receive six modern ROCUS unmanned humanitarian demining systems. The total cost of this batch is about 15 million euros, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine reported.

This supply is part of a broader support package from the French government, the total amount of which reaches 200 million euros. The main goal of the program is to help Ukraine restore critical infrastructure, in particular in the fields of health, energy and demining. Of this amount, 44 million euros are directed directly to humanitarian demining projects in areas affected by hostilities.

The Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko noted that the assistance from France covers 19 separate projects in various sectors and is of paramount importance for the safe restoration of life in the deoccupied territories. According to her, the acquisition of ROCUS unmanned vehicles will be a significant contribution to ensuring the safety of the civilian population.

The ROCUS systems are built on the THeMIS unmanned platform, which was developed by the Estonian company Milrem Robotics in cooperation with the French company CNIM Systèmes Industriels. These vehicles are equipped with specialized tools for detecting, classifying and neutralizing explosive objects and allow demining to be carried out remotely, which significantly reduces the risks for sappers.

The new vehicles will be operated by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES). As noted by the General Director of Milrem Robotics Kuldar Veersi, the THeMIS platform has already demonstrated its effectiveness both in Ukraine and in a number of other countries, and the new supply will further strengthen European cooperation in the field of defense technologies.

With this batch, Ukraine will have 13 ROCUS unmanned vehicles at its disposal — the first seven were transferred by international partners back in 2022. The new systems will help accelerate the process of clearing territories from explosive remnants of war and create safe conditions for the return of residents and the launch of reconstruction work.