They're a hidden danger, and each year more than 4000 people are killed by landmines worldwide, with nearly half of the victims being children.
Tony Connell is doing his part to try and reduce those numbers.
Over the last decade, the former NZ Army soldier from Christchurch has been helping to safely remove mines in a number of war-torn countries.
He says it's a non-governmental organisation with the goal of clearing mines and unexploded munitions around the world.
"We do three main things. First is education of the population about dealing with the threat of living alongside mines.
"The second part is survey teams where we go and actually look for areas that are contaminated and try and establish through direct evidence that the mines are actually there."
The third part is the tricky job of clearance.
"It is dangerous if you don't know what you're doing and you take stupid risks."
Connell was back in Christchurch visiting his mum at Russley Village, where he also spoke to residents about his work in Ukraine.
"The attitude of the people, this is what really amazes me. Ukrainians are resilient, they're determined and they will not give up."
Residents at the retirement village have been knitting items which Connell plans to distribute when the returns to Ukraine.
- By Geoff Sloan
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
