Briefing on the environmental damage caused by the russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine (27 July - 09 August, 2024)

On 29 July 2024, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management and the State Environmental Inspectorate presented a reform of the state environmental control system in Cherkasy, which will improve the documentation of environmental damage caused by the war.

The event was attended by key stakeholders in the field of environmental damage assessment.

The participants discussed the current state of legislation in the field of environmental damage and the reform of the state environmental control system in Ukraine.

On 6 August 2024, representatives of UNEP, UNECE and OECD, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine for European Integration Yevhenii Fedorenko, First Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Oleksiy Sobolev discussed at the first meeting of the Coordination Committee the priority areas of work in the framework of the Platform for Action on the Green Recovery of Ukraine.

The Platform for Action on the Green Recovery of Ukraine is a platform where Ukrainian and international partners will accumulate knowledge and experience, best practices, and financial instruments for the green development of our country.

During the first meeting of the Coordination Committee, they discussed the structure of the Matrix of Activities in the framework of the Platform. The Matrix is a document that will serve as a roadmap for joint work. It will include activities in the following areas: cross-sectoral issues; financial instruments; administrative capacity; sectoral issues (waste management, chemical safety, water, air, biodiversity, soil, etc.); investment cases; data collection and evaluation.

Nuclear and radiation safety threats

In occupied Enerhodar, a military unit of the Russian Guard was registered with a legal address that coincides with the address of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The rights of the founder are exercised by the Federal Service of the Russian National Guard.

This was reported by the Centre for Investigative Journalism with reference to the Russian state register.

Military unit No. 6945 (TIN 9001028566), registered on 30 July 2024 in occupied Enerhodar at 133 Promyslova Street. This is the address of the industrial facilities of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, Zaporizhzhia NPP.

"The rights of the founder are exercised by the Federal Service of the Russian National Guard," the extract reads. In this way, Russia is trying to legitimise the presence of its military on the territory of the station.

Recent attacks on infrastructure and industry sites

On 28 July 2024, Russians shelled Nikopol with artillery. In general, high-rise buildings and infrastructure in the city were damaged. A kiosk, a car, gas pipelines and power lines were damaged.

On 31 July 2024, the Russians carried out one of the most massive attacks on Ukraine with attack drones in the entire war. The State Emergency Service reports that a residential building caught fire in the Kyiv region at night as a result of the fall of drone debris. The building was partially destroyed.

On 1 August 2024, the Russians launched a missile attack on one of the railway stations in the Kharkiv region. The damage includes 2 locomotives, freight and passenger cars. The tracks and power supply facilities were also destroyed.

On 3 August 2024, Russians attacked a critical infrastructure facility in the Vinnytsia region.

On 6 August 2024, the occupiers attacked Kharkiv with a scanner. Civilian infrastructure was damaged, including a medical facility, office and garage space, and a university campus.

On 9 August 2024, Russians attacked a supermarket in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region. In addition to the destroyed supermarket, 4 private houses, 9 shops, a car wash, Nova Poshta, trade pavilions and 12 cars were damaged.

Pollution caused directly by hostilities

According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU), from February 24, 2022, to August 09, 2024, a total of 518,168 explosive objects have been neutralized on the territory of Ukraine. An area of 1429 square kilometres has been surveyed.

On 1 August 2024, in Kyiv, sapper divers of the Mobile Rescue Centre of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine discovered and removed the remains of a Russian strategic cruise missile X-101.

They were found in one of the ponds after the previous enemy shelling of the city and transported to a special landfill for further destruction by controlled explosion.

On 6 August 2024, two more Uragan and one Smerch MLRS missiles were defused in the forest in Mykolaiv region.

During a non-technical survey, a group of deminers from the Ukrainian Deminers Association found unexploded shells of enemy multiple rocket launchers in the Halytsynivka tract. Together with pyrotechnics, one of them was defused on the spot, and two were taken to a safe area for disposal.

Damage to natural reserves and protected ecosystems

On 2 August 2024, First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Oleksandr Krasnoluytskyy spoke at a seminar for the media on "How to turn the environment from a victim into a weapon, making Russia pay for environmental damage and gain the world's support".

According to the Ministry of Ecology, the damage to Ukraine's nature reserves and biodiversity caused by the war is estimated at over UAH 600 billion.

The invasion zone of the Russian troops included more than 1,970 territories and nature reserve objects that suffered from the barbaric actions of the aggressor.

"The environment is not a silent victim of war. We voice the figures, call on the international community to act, and do everything we can to preserve natural wealth. The war has affected 1.24 million hectares of protected areas. Constant shelling and explosions disrupt the geological and hydrological properties of the territories, kill plants and animals, destroy ecosystems, pollute soil, and cause loss of biodiversity," said Krasnoluytskyy.

On 2 August 2024, on behalf of the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Ruslan Strilets, Deputy Minister Olena Kramarenko, Department Directors of the Ministry of Environment Pavlo Ivanov and Maryna Shymkus paid a working visit to the "Sviati Hory" National Park to develop an action plan for its recovery.

The "Sviati Hory" National Park was under occupation during March-September 2022 and is now under enemy shelling, which has led to numerous fires.

"About 9.5 thousand hectares of forest in the "Sviati Hory" National Park were scorched by the fire of war. 10,000 hectares need to be surveyed and explosive ordnance disposed of. These figures are frightening and make us think about what to do next and how to plan the restoration of the park. Partly, nature conservationists carry out demining on their own - this helps to eliminate fires in time and prevent their spread," said Olena Kramarenko.

On 3 August 2024, as a result of Russia's armed aggression and constant hostilities, a 2-hectare fire broke out in the "Sviati Hory" National Park, which was extinguished by the heroic efforts of the national park staff and the State Emergency Service.

The war has already destroyed about 80% of the forest plantations of the "Sviati Hory" National Park, which is 9,500 hectares.

According to experts, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russians have destroyed more than 60,000 hectares of Ukrainian forests.

"Since the beginning of the year, 351 fires have occurred in these forestry enterprises in Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. More than 8,000 hectares of forest have burned. 80% of the fires were caused by hostilities. Local foresters are sometimes powerless because frontline forests are mined and fire brigades simply cannot get to the site of the fire. However, thanks to our support, the situation with large forest fires in the Kharkiv region has been brought under control," Yuriy Bolokhovets, CEO of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine", told LB.ua.

Water resources damage

On 30 July 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the Concept of the State Target Programme for Integrated Water Supply of the Territories Affected by Military Operations for the Period up to 2030.

"The document is revolutionary not only because of the challenges of providing water to the frontline regions. The last time such a programme was implemented in Ukraine was in 2012-2021, and it was only 27% completed. Today, we have no right to slow progress towards a 'good' water status. The new programme will be funded by international assistance (57%), the state budget (37%) and local budgets (6%)," said Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.

The strategic measures of the Programme include three main tasks, which include 57 activities. Among them:

●      construction of water supply systems;

●      construction, reconstruction and overhaul of hydraulic structures;

●      clearing riverbeds and water bodies;

●      groundwater extraction to diversify water supply sources.

On 1 August 2024, Ruslan Strіlets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, together with Vasyl Shkurakov, Acting Minister of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Vitaliy Kim, Head of Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, Oleksandr Vilkul, Head of the Defence Council of Kryvyi Rih, Mykhailo Yanchuk, Head of the State Agency of Water Resources, and Ihor Zubovych, Head of the State Inspectorate of Environmental Protection, inspected the storage pond in Svystunov beam and the main pumping station of the Ingulets-Pivdenne Reservoir in the Dnipro region.

"The problem of Svystunov beam, which accumulates a large amount of mine water, is not only environmental but also humanitarian. It has not been resolved for decades and has become particularly important after the Russian terrorist attack on the Kakhovka HPP. The storage pond, which expired in 2020, is now in a state of disrepair. The dam is deformed, the integrity of the reservoir is compromised, and pressure on water quality in the Ingulets River basin is increasing. The facility requires systemic reconstruction and measures to improve the quality of drinking water," said Ruslan Strilets.

Black and Azov Seas

On 1 August 2024, the facts of critical pollution of the Azov Sea in the temporarily occupied Genichesk region, and in particular the Arabat Spit, were recorded. The sea water has become dangerous not only for people but also for marine life, including dolphins, which are popular in the region.

Sauce: https://ecozagroza.gov.ua/en/news/152