Briefing on the environmental damage caused by the russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine (29 June - 12 July, 2024)

On 1 July, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Ruslan Striletsdiscussed the launch of the International Action Platform for the Green Recovery of Ukraine and Germany's continued support for Ukraine's environmental sector with Jürgen Raimund Keinhorst, representative of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.

At the meeting with Jürgen Reimund Keinhorst, they focused on discussing the first steps in the work of the Platform for Green Recovery of Ukraine. Mr. Jürgen presented Germany's proposals with a clear outline of the functions of the main parties.

According to Ruslan Strilets, the priority measures include support for Ukraine by such organisations as UNECE, OECD, and UNEP in the areas of industrial pollution prevention, environmental taxation reform, waste management, biodiversity conservation, and climate change resilience, analysis of sustainable wastewater management in Ukraine, capacity building of local authorities in environmental assessment and monitoring, and analysis of the potential of green jobs for the reintegration of veterans and IDPs.

On 3 July, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Ruslan Strilets, together with Head of the State Forest Resources Agency Viktor Smal and Acting Head of the State Environmental Inspectorate Igor Zubovych, visited Donetsk Oblast.

Ruslan Strilets inspected key facilities and discussed the region's problems and ways to solve them at a meeting with the head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration Vadym Filashkin.

"The hostilities are ongoing and such waste is being generated in Donetsk Oblast on a regular basis. To date, more than 73,000 tonnes have been accumulated. In arranging the sites, RMA is guided by a special procedure that the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, together with the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, launched in 2022. It is important to ensure that settlements are cleaned of demolition waste and reused. To date, this procedure has proven to be effective in such regions as Kyiv and Kharkiv. The Donetsk region, despite all the difficulties, is also not lagging behind and is gradually improving its work in this area," said Ruslan Strilets.

The head of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine also visited the "Sviati Gory" (Holy Mountains) National Park. Due to mining and constant shelling, the fires there do not subside. "I am impressed by the courage of these people who prioritise protecting the environment over their own lives, extinguishing fires in protected areas and taking care of protected lands on their own. We discussed the mechanism for improving their working conditions and strengthening the park with firefighting equipment," Ruslan Strilets said.

Ruslan Strilets, focused on the huge areas of burnt forest in Donetsk region: "This year, 112 fires have been extinguished on the territory of the Lyman Forestry Enterprise over an area of more than 2,000 hectares. The enemy stops at nothing. There are a lot of losses, a lot of destruction. However, the burnt forest can be used, including for fortifications for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We need to talk to foresters and local authorities about this. Everything is within the current legislation."

After visiting Donetsk region, Minister Ruslan Strilets wrote on his Facebook page:

"The main problem here is mining. To date, the park has cleared about 100 km of forest roads and access to fire reservoirs using its own resources. This helps to eliminate fires in a timely manner and prevent their spread," said Ruslan Strilets.

On 2-4 July, representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine took part in the 28th meeting of the Working Group of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention in Geneva.

During the meeting, Ukraine informed the participants about the environmental impact of Russia's military actions and the fulfilment of international obligations under the Aarhus Convention in the context of a full-scale invasion. The figures illustrating the damage caused to the environment were presented, and the importance of promptly recording and analysing the actual extent of the damage and informing civil society about it was noted.

Representatives of the European Union, the United Kingdom and Norway expressed their support for Ukraine. The EU and its member states acknowledged the tireless work of the Ukrainian people in defending their homeland, recognised the progress in harmonising Ukraine's legal framework with EU law, and stressed the importance of implementing the Aarhus Convention as a key instrument for environmental democracy and empowerment in these difficult times.

On 10 July, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Ruslan Strilets, together with Oleh Bondarenko, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management, Mykhailo Yanchuk, Head of the State Agency of Water Resources, Viktor Smal, Head of the State Forest Resources Agency, and Igor Zubovych, Acting Head of the State Environmental Inspectorate. Acting Head of the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine Igor Zubovych and Head of the All-Ukrainian Ecological League Tetyana Tymochko visited the Chuhuivo-Babchanske Forestry branch of the The State Specialized Forest Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” in Kharkiv region.

The forests of the Kharkiv region suffer not only from mining. For example, a large part of the Chuhuivo-Babchanske forestry has burned out and cannot be restored due to chaotic attacks of Russian shells.

During a meeting with foresters, representatives of the State Environmental Inspectorate and the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Ruslan Strilets discussed possible amendments to the legislation to speed up the possibility of sanitary felling in the Kharkiv region, where possible. This will not only speed up sanitary felling activities, but also save thousands of cubic metres of live wood that are currently being transported from all over the country for the needs of the Armed Forces. The problem of forests that cannot be restored is also relevant for Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, where active hostilities have been ongoing since 2014.

Nuclear and radiation safety threats

On 2 July, the Law of Ukraine on the Ratification of the Framework Agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on the International Cooperation Account for Chernobyl came into force.

On this occasion, a meeting of the Shareholders' Assembly was held with the participation of the Ukrainian delegation consisting of Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi, First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Oleh Bondarenko, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate, the Ministry of Finance, the State Agency of Ukraine on Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, and the Chornobyl NPP.

The Assembly of Depositors of the International Cooperation Account for Chornobyl pledged to allocate funds for the restoration of the Exclusion Zone.

The Assembly also announced additional contributions from the United Kingdom in the amount of EUR 6.3 million, Norway in the amount of EUR 5.6 million, the European Commission in the amount of EUR 2 million and Belgium in the amount of EUR 200 000. The current balance of the ICAC is currently EUR 15.2 million.

On 11 July, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on Russia to "urgently withdraw" its troops from the territory of Ukraine and the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe.

The Resolution "Safety and Security of Nuclear Facilities of Ukraine, including Zaporizhzhya NPP" was approved by 99 countries, while nine countries were against it - Belarus, Burundi, Cuba, DPRK, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Russia, Syria and Syria. 60 member states abstained.

In a non-binding resolution, the assembly also called on Moscow to immediately cease attacks on Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure after weeks of escalation.

"[The Assembly] calls upon the Russian Federation, until it returns the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant... to ensure that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is supported and assisted in its mission with timely and full access to all critical areas at the plant for nuclear safety and security to enable the Agency to fully report on the nuclear safety and security situation at the site," the resolution says.

Recent attacks on infrastructure and industry sites

On 30 June, Russians hit the Nova Poshta terminal in Kharkiv with an anti-aircraft missile. The occupiers struck when postal trucks arrived for unloading and loading. The GAB (guided aerial bomb) hit one of the trucks. At the time of the strike, other drivers were nearby, and about nine people were inside the Nova Poshta building.

One man was killed and the number of injured increased to nine, including an eight-month-old boy. "The eight-month-old baby was thrown to the pavement by the blast wave," said Volodymyr Tymoshko, chief of police in the Kharkiv region.

On 3 July, civilians were killed in a Russian attack in Dnipro. A shopping centre was damaged and a fire was reported near one of Dnipro's medical institutions. There is smoke in one of the buildings.

On 8 July, Russian terrorists again massively attacked Ukraine with missiles. Different cities: Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk. More than 40 missiles of various types. Residential buildings, infrastructure and a children's hospital were damaged.

The buildings of Ukraine's largest children's hospital, Okhmatdyt, were damaged, and there are patients among them.

A missile strike by Russia destroyed the largest enterprise in Vilnyansk, Zaporizhzhia. The company, which specialised in the production of pellets and briquettes, was also damaged. It was completely destroyed.

Pollution caused directly by hostilities

According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU), from February 24, 2022, to July 12, 2024, a total of 505,452 explosive objects have been neutralized on the territory of Ukraine. An area of 1384 square kilometres has been surveyed.

In late June, a large-scale fire broke out at a warehouse in Odesa Oblast as a result of an enemy attack. The fire covered more than 3,000 square metres.

Environmental inspectors made a prompt on-site visit to record the damage caused to the environment by the enemy's criminal actions.

Based on the initial data, it was established that the fire resulted in the release of more than 240 tonnes of pollutants into the air. The estimated amount of damage is over UAH 720 thousand.

On 28 June, a 15-hectare wheat field caught fire due to shelling of an agricultural enterprise in Odesa Oblast. The mass of carbon dioxide emissions released into the air amounted to 10.7 thousand tonnes.

State inspectors calculated the damage to the air at UAH 33 million.

According to the State Emergency Service, as of 4 July, the territory of the forest in Balakliya district was extremely contaminated with enemy ammunition.

Local residents are not allowed to come here. There are cluster munitions, anti-personnel mines and unexploded shells scattered everywhere. When the Russians were fleeing, they densely mined everything around them.

SES engineers are clearing the forests of the Kharkiv region step by step and reminding people of the importance of following mine safety rules.

Damage to natural reserves and protected ecosystems

On 4 July, Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, opened the scientific and practical conference "Functioning of the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine under martial law: ways of restoration and development" on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Day of Nature Reserve Worker. During the conference, he talked to the heads of national parks and reserves from all over Ukraine about the impact of Russian armed aggression on the Ukrainian reserve fund and ways to restore it.

According to the Minister, it is planned:

restoring protected areas affected by the hostilities, raising standards for parks to the European level;

opening a network of animal rehabilitation centres. We are currently working on a concept for the construction of such centres throughout Ukraine. Six such centres are already operating in our facilities.

Ukraine's contribution to the European treasury of nature reserves is enormous - 56 national parks, 19 nature reserves, and 5 biosphere reserves. Despite the fact that 20 of them are currently under occupation, we are already working on plans to restore them. We have to do it now, without waiting for the end of hostilities," Ruslan Strilets emphasised.

On 10 July, Oleksandra Yefymenko, head of the Department of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, reported that 253 fires had already been recorded on the Kinburn Spit, which is under temporary occupation, since the start of the full-scale war.

The total area of land affected by the fires is 7,166,000 hectares, with some areas burning twice and sometimes three times. Scientists are conducting remote monitoring of the fires on the Kinburn Peninsula, but due to active hostilities, it is currently impossible to accurately assess the extent of the environmental damage.

At the same time, the Russian occupiers continue to shell and mine the protected area of the Kinburn Peninsula. Almost every day, wild animals are killed by mines there, and there are cases of human casualties.

On 12 July, a large-scale fire broke out in the forests of the "Sviati Gory" (Holy Mountains)  National Nature Park, covering an area of more than 15 hectares. The firefighting operation lasted more than 6 hours, which was complicated by the large amount of ammunition that detonated during the fire.

The calculation of damages to the nature reserve fund will be carried out after a commission inspection of the affected area of the national park.

Water resources damage

On 2 July, a documentary about the Russians' blowing up of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was shown in Warsaw.

"Big Water" is a film by Ukrainian journalists Anna Tsygyma and Anna Mamonova from the Laboratory of Public Interest Journalism (The Reckoning project), documenting war crimes.

The film's protagonists are employees of the State Environmental Service and the Environmental Prosecutor's Office. Under fire, they collect soil and water samples to prove the ecocide. The film will show how the war, particularly in Kherson, is destroying the environment.

Black and Azov Seas

On 9 July, Maksym Soroka, an associate professor at the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technology, analysed satellite images of the coastal waters of the Azov Sea over a ten-year period. He concluded that the last two years have seen an "intense peak of sea bloom".

"The problems with the northern water area of the Azov Sea will only get worse, as the sewage treatment plants in the Mariupol agglomeration are not working. Accordingly, the trophicity, or in simple terms, the wateriness of the water mass near the shore, is increasing. Blooms, algae, jellyfish - these are all natural reactions of the Azov Sea ecosystem to intense pollution. These phenomena once again confirm that the occupation authorities are not actually solving anything with the discharge of wastewater and waste water," the scientist explained.

According to Soroka, the biggest problem in the Sea of Azov is and will be mines.

"Back in 2022, the occupiers were dropping bombs wherever they wanted - some exploded, some didn't. Plus the boats that they sank themselves and that we sank with ammunition. Ukrainian scientists have an action plan to restore the water area. But all this can only be done when the territories are liberated," he said.

On 11 July, Viktor Komorin, acting director of the Ukrainian Scientific Centre for Marine Ecology, PhD in Geography, told Ukrainian Radio that the Black Sea has not yet been cleared after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station explosion.

"The Dnipro-Bug estuary suffered the main blow to the ecosystem. It became the main buffer between the Dnipro and the Black Sea. A large amount of pollutants remained on the coast of this estuary. All this pollution still gets into the water and reaches the Odesa coast. If you look at the spectrum of pollution in the Odesa region, oil pollution used to prevail, and in some places it was toxic. Instead, now we have a large amount of organochlorine hydrocarbons and toxic metals. That is, even after a year has passed, when a large amount of toxic substances have been redistributed throughout the Black Sea, we are still affected by that situation. It is impossible to solve this problem during the war," said Viktor Komorin.

Sauce - https://ecozagroza.gov.ua/en/news/150