Twenty-year-old Karina puts on her protective gear, takes a mine detector into her hands, and heads out into the field. It’s nine degrees above zero, mud sticks under her boots, and ahead lie hectares of land where explosive remnants of war may be hidden. This is her daily work.
Karina was born in Zhytomyr, but has lived in Mykolaiv since she was four and considers herself a local. Her path to humanitarian demining began long before she ever held a mine detector.
Karina recalls.
“When the war started in Ukraine in 2014, I was nine years old. I couldn’t do anything physically back then, but I already knew I wanted to be useful,”
At school, she drew pictures for soldiers, helped collect parcels, and tried to be part of the resistance in any way a child could.
When the full-scale invasion began in 2022, Karina knew for sure that she wanted to work in a field connected to helping people. That’s how she learned about humanitarian demining and joined the DCA-NCA demining team in Ukraine.
“I didn’t believe they would take me — I was only 19. But I completed the courses, studied everything I could, and they accepted me,” she says.
Karina has been clearing fields in Mykolaiv oblast for over a year now. Despite her young age, this is far from her first job. She started working at 14 and has experience in a telecommunications company, a flower shop, and a veterinary clinic as a medical assistant. Her love for animals remains an important part of her life today. “Animals are the most important thing to me. They can’t earn money for food or treatment themselves. I always try to help — to feed them, treat them, and take in stray animals,” Karina says. Today, she has a cat and a dog at home, while her mother cares for six more animals.
One day, Karina discovered a hidden cache of ammunition in a park in Mykolaiv. During excavation, her mine detector gave a strong signal.
At first everything was calm. I was digging and suddenly saw some fabric, a plastic bag, and then a green pouch. I immediately called my team leader. It turned out there were eight grenades and some ammunition inside. Someone had hidden them deliberately and even left a marking on a tree. At first, my knees were shaking. The scariest thing is the unknown — when you don’t understand what’s in front of you and what might happen,she says.
Demining work requires constant focus, physical endurance, and psychological resilience. Yet Karina says she truly loves what she does. “I like this job because every day you discover something new. I’ve never been afraid. I’ve always had more athletic interests and I practice MMA. For me, this work feels natural — and here you can clearly see the results of what you do,” she explains.
Karina experienced the start of the full-scale invasion in her mother’s village near Mykolaiv. She woke up to a phone call with the news of the invasion and decided to stay.
“I couldn’t leave. My family was there — my mother, grandmother, grandfather, my sister with a newborn baby. We hid in the basement and went through everything together. It was terrifying. The worst moment was when our village started being shelled with cluster munitions,” Karina recalls.
It was then that she fully realized how vital it is to clear the land of explosive remnants of war.
Today, Karina goes out into the field so that this land can become safe again — for children, farmers, families, and animals. And she does it not despite her age, but because of her inner strength and a clear understanding of why she is there.
About the project
With the support of Danida, DCA-NCA is working to clear hazardous territories in Mykolaiv oblast. The project is not only focused on preventing injuries and saving lives from explosive incidents, but also on supporting people and communities who continue to suffer after the disaster.
These efforts are part of a broader mine-action strategy that includes surveying contaminated land, carrying out explosive ordnance risk education, and providing both legal and social support to affected communities.
