DCA-NCA Ukraine
7 a.m., on a former battleground cleared by the DCA-NCA demining team, the work begins. 26-year-old Stas opens the container where Jessica “sleeps” – that’s the name the team gave to the new demining machine GCS-200, which helps in the work and doubles the speed of clearance.
On the field Stas has his call sign – “Muscles” – and not without reason: in the past, he was a rowing champion. All his childhood, in Mykolaiv where he and his family are from, he dedicated himself to rowing and traveled to various competitions.
“I did canoe rowing for seven years. I trained twice a day, five days a week. I lived only for this,”says Stas
By the age of 13, he had already earned the title of Candidate for Master of Sports in canoeing, and at 16 he became a Master of Sports. In his new role, Stas works to clear explosive remnants from the land in Mykolaiv. He is now proudly part of DCA-NCA in Ukraine.
“I am glad to be part of the team and to help Ukraine. Every day we make a difference, clearing dangerous explosives so that people can live safely. It gives a real sense of purpose,”he says.
Clearing explosives with a 10-ton machine
Now Stas has been working as a demining machine operator since the new year. He spent half a year training and practicing control. Every day he goes out into the field so that the machine can help the deminers clear Ukrainian land of dangerous explosives.
“At first I thought being an operator was simple: joystick forward, joystick back. In reality, there are so many nuances. If you don’t react in time, the shaft or belt can break. You need to understand the soil, the stones, or trees you encounter on the way. All this affects the machine’s work,”says Stas.
The GCS-200 is a multifunctional, remotely operated platform designed to neutralize anti-personnel,
anti-tank mines, and other explosive ordnance.
The machine is operated entirely remotely, with Stas controlling it through a console while monitoring the drone’s camera feed on a tablet. When dust rises, even the drone cannot provide visibility, forcing him to stop and wait until the air clears to find the correct line again: “We work two hours without breaks, in armor, under the sun. It’s not easy”, says Stas.
War and injury turned Stas’ life around
Stas faced a major turning point in his life and career. At 17, a serious injury forced him to leave professional sports behind.
“I tore my groin ligaments. There was surgery and a year of recovery. In our sport, milliseconds decide everything, and I lost my form. That’s how my career ended. It was hard to accept. There were tears and disappointment, of course, I was only 17. I always thought my life would be connected to sports,”says Stas.
Despite his injury, Stas continued training and became a coach in Kyiv, where he lived until the war. Everything changed on February 24, 2022, when it was no longer safe to stay in the capital and his work disappeared. He spent time thinking about how he could best help his country, and when he saw a deminer vacancy in DCA-NCA in his hometown, he knew this was the right path.
Today, Stas is satisfied with his job and the place where he is now. He actively trains and keeps doing sports, but also thinks about development.
“Any athlete or ambitious person wants more. I also want to move forward. In the future, I see myself as a team leader or trainer for new operators. Because I know this job from the inside, I see all the details,” says Stas.
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.
