Meet Petro Hrebenyuk, a Ukrainian Engineer turned Minesweeper Designer, navigating the challenges of displacement with a practical and positive mindset.

Having left his home in Kakhovka in 2022, Petro lead a team in his childhood town - Voznesensk, Mykolayiv region to create a minesweeper prototype that addresses the pressing issue of landmines in Ukraine. With the help of your donations, he acquired an old tractor and developed essential systems for remote operation. As they work towards certification, your support becomes crucial in realising the potential of this life-saving initiative. 

Join us in backing Petro and The Way of Reconstruction and contribute to a project that aims to make a tangible difference in demining efforts in Ukraine. 

Read Petro's story -

"In a story that will be tragically familiar to many others, I was forced to flee Kakhovka in 2022 with my family. I left behind my home and a farm equipment production business called Green Bull. Today, my town is still under occupation, my home is occupied by FSB officers, and my engineering plant has been destroyed by a missile.

Despite that, I am positive. I am positive because I believe I can help Ukraine in the best way that I know how, using my engineering expertise along with the skills' of my friends and partners in a new venture. Together with my co-workers, specialists and volunteers, we are creating a new minesweeper prototype.

Thanks to your donations, we purchased an old tractor in December 2023 with the aim of creating a machine capable of removing landmines in civilian areas. We have already modified the engine of the T-150 tractor and have developed the hydraulic and pneumatic systems that will allow us to operate the minesweeper remotely from more than 300m away. The next step will be to buy the metal needed to provide armour for the machine and create the chains of rotating flails that will smash the mines.

Having just come back from Kherson and heard about people risking their lives to clear fields by hand, I am more determined than ever to make this prototype a success. Everyone in the team is working enthusiastically, not just contributing their own time and skills, but collaborating with friends and partners from other Ukrainian cities helping us with specialist tasks, equipment and advice.

At the moment, lots of people are working with anti-mining bodies to have their minesweeper designs certified. Sadly, there will be plenty of work for all of us. 

Given that many of these mines sit in arable land that the country needs to feed itself and support the economy, there is clearly an urgent need for minesweepers of all types. If our prototype gets certified, we will have a chance to start producing these life-saving machines and clear some of the mines that are still claiming the lives and limbs of innocent people, even in areas where our land has been liberated.

It is critical that we make this project work. So a huge thank you to all who have contributed to date and thanks in advance to those who will help in future."

This campaign will close when the target is reached and if the conversion project comes in under the budget of $25,000, any remaining funds raised will be used by The Way of Reconstruction for their other projects benefitting Ukrainian civilians affected by the war.

This fundraiser is hosted and administered by Legacy of War Foundation on behalf of The Way of Reconstruction (Shliakh Vidbudovy), a registered Ukrainian public organisation. 100% of the proceeds from this campaign will go to The Way of Reconstruction - we don't take any funds for costs or overheads.