The 700-Year War: An Aussie Scientist’s Mission to Disarm Ukraine’s Deadliest Legacy

‘It was calculated that approximately 30 percent of Ukraine’s [territory] is now affected by mines,’ says environmental scientist Allen Dobrovolsky.

A deminer of Ukrainian national police inspects mines that were found in a field in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 24, 2023. Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images

From his desk in Australia, environmental scientist Allan Dobrovolsky is leading a quiet war against one of the deadliest legacies of the Russia-Ukraine War: landmines.

His grassroots non-profit, the International Action Alliance, is betting that local fundraising can help deploy the latest drone technology to shave critical time off Ukraine’s slated centuries-long recovery.