In Mykolaiv, a region in the south of Ukraine, the village of Bezimenne stands starkly empty. Each of the village’s structures – homes, schools, shops – has been heavily shelled, and every resident has long since fled.
On the village’s outskirts, though, 64-year-old farmer Mykola Mural stayed behind. With 650 hectares of land to his name and decades of successful harvests under his belt, returning to the land was not simply a livelihood for him, it was a calling. Even as the war tore through the region, he was determined to get back to his fields.
Mykola grows “everything that it’s possible to grow here in the south of Ukraine, where the soil is more dry”: winter wheat, sunflower, rapeseed, linseed, and more.
But because of the threat of hidden explosives on his land, for three long years, it was too dangerous to plant or harvest.
That changed when HALO started work on Mykola’s land in January 2024. By autumn, he could begin planting again. As of 2025, over 40 hectares of land, or about 75 football fields, are safe and back in Mykola’s hands.
Now, he stands proudly in his fields, where he has planted winter wheat that is ready for cropping.
“This is my first harvest since 2022!” he exclaims.
The road to recovery for Mykolaiv is still long, but stories like Mykola’s show what is possible when the dangerous land is made safe: resilience, livelihoods restored, and hope takes root.
Thanks to the enduring commitment of partners like FMC, hope is returning to Ukraine’s farmlands. Each hectare cleared opens the door for farmers to plant again, for harvests to flourish, and for the country’s agricultural future to thrive. Their dedication is helping transform danger into opportunity for farmers like Mykola and for the communities that rely on Ukraine’s rich farmland.
