Mine Safety for Children and Adults: What to Do If You Find a Suspicious Object

Mine safety has become a daily necessity for millions of people in Ukraine. An object that looks like a piece of metal, a toy, or an abandoned canister may actually be unexploded ordnance. The rules are simple, and they only work when both adults and children know them by heart. Below is the procedure based on official sources as of July 2026.

What should you do if you see a suspicious object?

Official sources do not specify a single “one-size-fits-all” safe distance: the demine.gov.ua platform cites 300 meters, State Emergency Service guidelines specify at least 100 meters, and reference tables provide distances based on the type of object.

Where should you report an explosive object, and what should you tell the operator?

One-touch dialing: 101 102 112

Calls to 101, 102, 103, and 104 are free from any phone, even if you have no credit on your account.

What to tell the operator so that the response team arrives quickly and prepared:

1. Location —address or kilometer marker, town or city, landmarks (gas station, bus stop, power line pole).
2. What you saw —size, shape, color, whether there are stabilizers, wires, or straps.
3. How many objects —one or several, or scattered across the area.
4. Are there any injured people —this affects the team’s composition.
5. Are there people nearby —residential buildings, a school, a playground,or a livestock grazing area?
6. Your phone number —so we can pinpoint the location while en route.

An unattended item in a building entrance, on public transportation, or in a public place

A bag, package, or backpack with no owner is just as suspicious: do not touch it, do not open it, and do not move it.

• In a building’s entryway: Ask neighbors to help locate the owner. If no owner is found, notify the on-duty units of the National Police, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), or the State Emergency Service (DSNS).
• On public transportation: alert other passengers and immediately notify the driver or operator.
• Signs that make an item suspicious: wires, an antenna, suspicious sounds, power sources (batteries, rechargeable batteries), or a wire tripwire.

Mine Safety Rules: What Should You Absolutely Not Do?

Actions that most often lead to detonation:

• Picking it up and examining it. Damaged munitions are more dangerous than intact ones.
• Moving it out of the way “so no one steps on it.” The most common fatal mistake.
• Throwing a rock or a stick to test it.
• Take it apart or remove the explosive.
• Turn it in for scrap metal. This is a closed room with people and metal-cutting tools.
• Throw it into fire or water.
• Keep it as a souvenir from the front lines. This also carries criminal liability.
• Smoke nearby or use open flames.

What should you do if you find yourself in a danger zone?

This situation requires the opposite reflex: do not move, and do not run.

This is the hardest rule of mine safety: it goes against human instinct. But attempting to rescue a victim on your own results in a second casualty.

What items are considered explosive hazards, and what changed in 2026?

The official definition is provided by the Law “On Mine Action in Ukraine” (No. 2642-VIII, current version as of January 1, 2024): from aerial bombs, missiles, and artillery munitions to all types of mines, cluster munitions, military-grade pyrotechnic devices, and improvised explosive devices.

According to the current National Mine Action Strategy, no more than 10% of these territories may actually be contaminated. Therefore, the figure “174,000 km²,” which still appears in publications, should not be used.

Three threats not mentioned in older documents

They are now found not only in fields: they are dropped from drones in residential areas, parks, near bodies of water, and on roadsides. The highest probability of finding them is at abandoned positions, checkpoints, trenches, forest strips, and dry riverbeds.

Mine Safety for Children: How to Talk to Your Child?

The reason for the increased risk is simple: to a child, an unfamiliar object is a discovery, not a threat. A child is likely to pick it up, carry it away, show it to friends, or bring it home.

Four rules from the guide by UNICEF, the Ministry of Education and Science, the State Emergency Service, and the National Police (presented to younger schoolchildren as “superpowers”):

1. Be careful!
2. Don’t go near it!
3. Don’t touch it!
4. Call an adult and dial 101.

Regarding toys, the official wording is cautious and precise: “Even if it looks like a toy, a box, or something left behind—it could be dangerous.” A child psychologist advises speaking firmly and slowly, keeping the conversation brief, and instilling the rule: “We don’t touch it—not even in a picture.”

The Civil Protection Code (Article 41, as amended on March 22, 2026) stipulates that training students in emergency response is mandatory. Preschools hold annual Child Safety Weeks, and schools hold Civil Protection Days. Parents have the right to ask the administration how these events are conducted.

What should you do if a dangerous object is already at home or in the yard?

This scenario is more realistic than it seems: a child has brought home a “find,” a fragment with a warhead is lying in the yard, or ammunition has been discovered in an old building. The worst decision here is to remain silent out of fear of liability.

1. Do not touch the object again or move it any further.
2. Evacuate people from the building or move them away from the area in the yard; remove children and animals.
3. Do not throw it in the trash, bury it, burn it, or take it to the police on your own.
4. Call 101 and report that the object is inside a residential building or in the yard.
5. Wait for the bomb squad to arrive and do not allow unauthorized people near the site.

Now, regarding the legal aspect, which is what often silences people. Possession of ammunition, explosive substances, or explosive devices without a permit is punishable by imprisonment for three to seven years (Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code, current version as of April 15, 2026). The law makes no exception for “found” items.

Regarding the duty to report, let’s be precise: there is no specific provision in the law regarding found ammunition. There is a general duty to notify emergency services of any emergencies (Article 21, Part 2 of the Civil Protection Code).

What do mine hazard signs look like?

These signs are the last line of warning, and you shouldn’t rely on them alone: a significant portion of the territory lacks such signs.

Signs of a contaminated area: craters, charred trees, debris from military equipment and shell casings, abandoned trenches and dugouts, fields that haven’t been cultivated since the fighting began, and areas where locals don’t go.

Progress reports on clearance operations are published by demine.gov.ua and the Center for Mine Action (ua-nmac.org).

This material is for informational purposes only and does not replace official instructions and guidelines from emergency services. In the event of a real threat, follow the instructions of the State Emergency Service and the National Police. Rules, regulations, and contact information are subject to change—please check official resources (demine.gov.ua, ua-nmac.org, zakon.rada.gov.ua) for the most up-to-date requirements.