Briefing on the environmental damage caused by the russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine (March 9 – March 22, 2024)

International partners will help Ukraine assess the environmental damage caused by Russia.

This was agreed at a meeting of the Board of the project "Reducing the Risks of Long-Term Environmental Disasters in Ukraine through the Establishment of a Coordination Centre for Environmental Damage Assessment".

"Such international support for Ukraine is extremely important now. We need to overcome the environmental consequences of Russia's armed aggression, namely to restore Ukraine's ecosystems during the war and in the post-war period, and we must also achieve compensation for damage to the Ukrainian environment," said Deputy Minister Olena Kramarenko.

The project's Supervisory Board approved the work plan for 2024, which was developed by the team and, in particular, provides for:

promoting the improvement of legislation and technical capabilities for collecting evidence and documenting environmental damage caused by Russian aggression in Ukraine;

procurement of certified mobile laboratories for environmental damage analysis.

On 11 March, the ninth meeting of the Ukrainian-Polish Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation took place in Lviv.

The commission discussed several areas of cooperation between the two countries, including environmental protection.

"Damage to the Ukrainian environment as a result of Russia's full-scale invasion has already amounted to 57.3 billion euros. We invite the Polish side to join the assessment of the damage as part of the implementation of paragraph 8 of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula. In particular, we invite you to join the Environmental Declaration, which provides for the creation of an appropriate Platform for Damage Assessment," said Yevhenii Fedorenko.

In the framework of the Commission's work, Yevhenii Fedorenko also held a bilateral meeting with Milosz Motyka, Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment of Poland.

The Deputy Minister handed over the Environmental Treaty to his Polish colleagues and spoke about the main challenges facing Ukraine in terms of damage assessment and environmental restoration.

Among other things, the parties discussed Poland's support for Ukraine's European integration reforms, particularly in the areas of waste and water management and biodiversity conservation.

The whole world should see the environmental consequences of the war: a well-known Spanish photographer is scaling up his project to highlight the ecocide in Ukraine.

First Deputy Minister Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi and Deputy Ambassador of Spain to Ukraine Carlos Garcia Pascual discussed the issue of continuing cooperation and promoting the work of photographer Daniel Beltre.

"It is important for us that the world sees the environmental catastrophe that Russia is causing on the territory of our country every day. Each photo is not only a photographic fact of environmental crimes but also a call to the international community to act. Therefore, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine supports and is ready to assist in the implementation of such projects. In the near future, we will draw up routes, identify the safest places and a list of objects destroyed by Russia that should be shown to the whole world," said First Deputy Minister Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi.

According to him, international coverage of the consequences of Russia's armed aggression in Ukraine is also an important component of the implementation of point 8 of the Presidential Peace Formula "Environmental Safety".

On 14 March, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Prosecutor General Viktoriia Litvinova with the participation of First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi and Deputy Minister Olena Kramarenko.

The participants discussed the status of the proceedings already opened, the most high-profile cases, as well as strengthening cooperation and preventing violations of environmental legislation.

"Unfortunately, during wartime, violations of environmental legislation did not stop, and in some cases became more widespread. Illegal logging, squatting and destruction of land plots, hunting - these are the things that cause significant damage to the environment, which is already suffering from the armed aggression of the Russian Federation. Therefore, it is important to strengthen cooperation to counteract these crimes in protected areas," said Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi.

Nuclear and radiation safety threats

On March 15, within the framework of the 11th Energy Council of the European Union and the United States of America held in Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia, USA), the EU-US Energy Council issued a statement condemning the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant by the Russian Federation. They also emphasized the importance of adhering to five specific principles presented by the Director General of the IAEA at the UN Security Council on May 30, 2023.

"The ongoing control by Russia and its irresponsible actions at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and its surroundings endanger countless lives. The European Union and the United States strongly urge Russia to heed the resolutions of the IAEA Board of Governors and General Conference, unconditionally withdraw its personnel and military equipment from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, provide full and unhindered access to IAEA experts to all areas of the plant, and return it under the full control of its lawful owner - Ukraine," the statement reads.

Recent attacks on infrastructure and industry sites

On March 10, Russians launched drone strikes on Ukrainian territory:

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the aggressor targeted an enterprise in Novomoskovsky district. A fire broke out as a result of the attack.

In the Odesa region, a drone strike damaged a building at an industrial facility in the Odesa district. Firefighters promptly extinguished the fire.

In the Mykolaiv region, a drone strike damaged a power transmission line in the open territory outside the settlement of Snihurivska community. As a result, 2 settlements were left without electricity.

On March 11, the enemy launched night attacks using shells on Odesa and Kharkiv regions.

As a result of enemy shelling in Kharkiv, 2 apartment buildings, a hotel building, an infrastructure object, and a communal facility were damaged.

In the Odesa region, an infrastructure object was hit, and administrative buildings were damaged. The shockwave shattered the windows of private houses.

On March 15, due to a Russian missile strike on Odessa, civilian infrastructure was severely damaged.

10 private houses, a technical service station, a low-pressure gas pipeline, and 2 firefighting vehicles were damaged.

On the night of March 21, the enemy attacked Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles.

The missiles came from the north, with the main direction of the strike being Kyiv.

In the Podilskyi district, debris fell onto the territory of non-residential buildings, a fire broke out at a transformer substation covering an area of ​​200 square meters, and a fire occurred on the roof of a non-residential building.

In the Shevchenkivskyi district, multi-storey residential buildings were damaged, windows were shattered by the blast wave, an apartment caught fire, and fires on three cars were extinguished. Debris falling between a kindergarten and residential buildings was recorded.

In the Sviatoshynskyi district, a multi-storey residential building was damaged. Windows were shattered on the 4th floor due to debris falling, caused by the blast wave.

On the night of March 22, the Russian forces carried out the largest attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in recent times.

In Zaporizhzhia, the Russians launched 12 missile strikes, targeting infrastructure objects, destroying 7 buildings, and damaging 35. Hits were recorded near Ukraine's largest hydroelectric power station, the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Station.

Additionally, there were at least 15 explosions in Kharkiv, targeting the energy infrastructure. The city experienced problems with electricity and water supply.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, energy facilities in the Dniprovsky, Kryvyi Rih, Pavlohrad, and Kamianske districts were damaged. Windows were shattered in buildings due to the blast wave, causing disruptions in electricity and water supply.

In Vinnytsia, critical infrastructure was also hit.

In the Kirovohrad region, a utility building was damaged, leading to scheduled power outages.

In Khmelnytskyi, infrastructure objects and residential buildings were destroyed.

In the Lviv region, a drone struck an energy infrastructure object in Stryi district. Additionally, a fire broke out in a forest area in Zolochiv district due to debris from a missile strike.

In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, there were hits on critical infrastructure objects.

Pollution caused directly by hostilities

According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU), from February 24, 2022, to March 22, 2024, a total of 476,925 explosive objects have been neutralized on the territory of Ukraine. An area of 1222 square kilometres has been surveyed.

Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management, Olena Kryvoruchkina, told "Holos Ukrayiny" about the ecological consequences of the unleashed war by the Russians on the territory of our state for the entire European continent and the world.

"The impact on soil and ground contamination with heavy metals and other hazardous substances is massive. Over two years of full-scale war, landmines along with unexploded ordnance, artillery shells, and other deadly by-products of war have polluted approximately 70 thousand square kilometres of Ukraine's territory. Is this a lot or a little? In terms of area, it's almost like the entire territory of Scotland or the Czech Republic; Georgia is slightly smaller, and it's larger than two Moldovas."

Ecologists have calculated the environmental damage caused by the attack of strike drones on Odessa region on March 11th. At that time, infrastructure in the region suffered damage.

This was reported by the press service of the State Environmental Inspection of the South-Western District.

As a result of the drone strike, warehouse buildings caught fire covering an area of ​​1,000 square meters, and nearly 80 tons of carbon dioxide were released into the atmosphere.

The total amount of damage inflicted on the atmosphere is estimated at 241,000 hryvnias.

Damage to natural reserves and protected ecosystems

For the first time since the Russian military blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, the Dnipro rapids and banks of Khortytsia in Zaporizhzhia are almost flooded. This happened because of the spring floods, Mykhailo Mulenko, acting head of the nature protection sector of the Khortytsia National Reserve, told Suspilne.

According to him, the water level in the Dnipro River in Zaporizhzhia has almost returned to its "usual" levels after the occupiers blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station:

"For 70, almost 80 years, the water has returned to the same Velykyi Luh, in a natural way. Well, almost naturally. That is, it is the flood. Now we can see a rise from that minimum of about 3-3.5, sometimes even 4 metres. That is, half a metre to a metre lower than what it was at the Kakhovka reservoir."

This flood has already had a significant impact on the nature of the banks of both the Dnipro and the Kakhovka reservoir:

"Willow, poplar. When they are underwater for two months, it does not harm them, they do not die. And as soon as the water comes down, they immediately start growing even faster. Deer and roe deer enter the territory of the former reservoir. Willow shoots are almost a delicacy for them. A possible negative factor. Due to the fact that this territory is connected to the mainland by land, predators can enter it."

Damage to freshwater resources

On 22 March, the Russian military launched eight missile attacks on the territory of the Dnipro hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in Zaporizhzhia. This resulted in soil contamination and leakage of oil products into the Dnipro River.

This was reported by the State Environmental Inspectorate of the Southern District.

It is noted that as a result of Russian missile strikes on the territory of the Dnipro HPP, oil products leaked into the Dnipro River. The inspection took water samples for laboratory testing.

Black and Azov Seas

It is already noticeable that the full-scale invasion affects the condition of the Black and Azov Seas, and this impact is significant. However, currently, scientists do not have the opportunity to monitor, collect samples in the seas, and gather data due to the mined and inaccessible areas.

Sofia Sadohurska, a biologist and expert of the NGO "Ecoaction," explained to Eco.Region how the current war could impact the Azov and Black Seas.

"What is most harmful to the sea during the war? I would say it is the spills of oil products from ships, downed aircraft, and other military equipment, as well as direct and indirect pollution of the sea due to missiles and explosions, as well as the destruction of coastal infrastructure (for example, sewage treatment plants). Additionally, it is worth mentioning the destruction of the natural reserve fund in the coastal zone of the Black and Azov Seas," emphasized Sofia Sadohurska.

The sea is a very dynamic system. The impact may be imperceptible at the beginning for the average citizen but more evident for scientists. At the same time, the impact can be long-term, with the consequences visible in several years or decades.

In the case of the Black Sea, people already notice the impact on marine mammals and dolphins. Research on this issue is currently ongoing, but there is already data indicating that this year, the number of dolphin deaths is much higher than the average in previous years. This impact is already evident in other countries on the coast of the Black Sea, where cases of mass dolphin deaths have been recorded.

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Source - https://ecozagroza.gov.ua/en/news/143