Briefing on the environmental damage caused by the Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine

Russian terrorists wiped the city of Bakhmut off the face of the earth, caused a new risk of a nuclear accident and continue to commit numerous war crimes in Ukraine, including against the environment.

Russia has inflicted damage on Ukraine’s air, water and land resources in an amount of about UAH 2 trillion (USD 53 billion). This was announced at a briefing by Oleksandr Stavniychuk, Deputy Head of the Department of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.

“Today, the damage inflicted on air, water and land already amounts to almost UAH 2 trillion. However, as the work continues, we all understand that the main goal is to receive compensation for these losses. We want to unify all damage assessment approaches at the international level,” - said Oleksandr Stavniychuk.

He noted that 7 methodologies developed by the State Environmental Inspection and the State Service for Geology and Subsoil are used for environmental damage assessment. To improve these methodologies, the Ministry of Environmental Protection collects information and analyzes the reports of international experts and the EU directives.

“I believe that the existing methodologies will be partially updated. Both international experts and our Ukrainian specialists are working to improve these methodologies. Now our main task is to collect evidence. It will not be a big problem to reassess the monetary value of the environmental damage. However, it is important that we have a sufficient evidence base for future lawsuits to get the compensation,” - Stavniychuk noted.

As reported by the Ministry of Energy, Ukraine and Germany are launching the “Renewables for a Resilient Ukraine – R2U” project in Ukrainian communities. This is the first stage of implementation of the German-Ukrainian partnership on the green recovery of Ukraine. Within the framework of the project, up to 20 communities will be selected, where energy audits of critical infrastructure buildings will be carried out for further equipping with renewable energy sources. The project is designed for 18 months, its budget is about EUR 2 million.

Nuclear and radiation safety threats

As a result of a terrorist shelling by the Russian invaders on the night of May 22, Dniprovska 750kV (the last high-voltage power transmission line supplying power needs of the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant) was disconnected.

For the 8th time since the beginning of the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP by Russian terrorists (on March 4, 2022), the plant entered a blackout mode. After losing the external power supply, which is vital for the operation of fuel cooling pumps in the fuel pools and nuclear reactors of the power units, all diesel generators at the NPP were automatically activated. The fuel supply for them is enough to last for 10 days.

In the afternoon on May 22, Ukrainian specialists restored the operation of the Dniprovska 750kV high-voltage power transmission line. The risk of a nuclear and radiation accident has been minimized.

During his visit to Japan, the President of Ukraine stated that Russia must stop its nuclear and radiation blackmail and hand control over the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP to Ukraine and the IAEA.
"Here in Hiroshima, I want the world to hear the Ukrainian call for unity. Russia has trampled upon everything civilized. For over a year, it has continued the occupation of our largest NPP in Europe... Ukraine has proposed a formula for peace, with nuclear and radiation safety being a key point. Russia must abandon its nuclear and radiation blackmail of the world, and it must transfer the NPP it currently occupies under the full control of Ukraine and the IAEA," - Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Recent attacks on infrastructure and industrial sites

Yuriy Ignat, the spokesperson of the Ukrainian Air Force, informed that since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, approximately 8,000 missiles of various types have been launched by Russia against Ukraine. According to the UN, due to the use of weapons with a wide radius of destruction by the aggressor country, at least 6,789 Ukrainians have been killed.

During the detonation of missiles, specific chemical compounds are formed: carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor (H2O), nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N2O), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), formaldehyde (CH2O), hydrogen cyanide (HCN) vapors, nitrogen (N2), and a large amount of toxic organic substances. The emissions into the atmosphere caused by the Russian military aggression in Ukraine are carried by winds, settle, and impact other countries, sometimes thousands of kilometers away.

On May 18, Russia once again launched a massive attack on Ukrainian territory with 30 missiles:

• fragments of Russian missiles fell in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts. No casualties were reported;
• in Odesa, an attack on one of the industrial infrastructure facilities was recorded. As a result of the missile strike, one civilian was killed and two people were injured;
• an attack on an infrastructure facility in the Khmelnytskyi district was recorded, and as a result of the shelling, air power transmission lines were disconnected.

During the night of May 19, Russian occupiers attacked Ukraine with 22 drones and 6 cruise missiles:

• explosions happened at a private industrial enterprise in Kryvyi Rih;
• an agro-industrial enterprise in the Stepivska community of the Mykolaiv region was targeted. The equipment and buildings of the enterprise were damaged.

On May 20:

• a fire broke out on the roof of a 9-story building in the Dniprovskyi district of Kyiv due to the fall of debris from Iranian drones launched by Russia. Buildings of car service centers and cars were damaged in the Darnytskyi district;
• Russians shelled Nikopol and the Chervonohryhorivka community in the Dnipropetrovsk region. 17 private and multi-story buildings, gas pipelines, and power lines were damaged.
• as a result of shelling in Kupiansk, buildings of a civilian enterprise and a private residential house were damaged, and fires occurred.

On May 21, the terrorist country launched missile strikes on Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region.On May 22, Russians attacked the Dnipropetrovsk region. 15 drones and 4 cruise missiles were shot down over the region. Several buildings of the State Emergency Service were damaged, and an attack was recorded at a private enterprise in Dnipro.On May 23:

• occupiers attacked a residential building in Avdiivka, killing two civilians;
• in the Velykoburlutska community of the Kharkiv region, four fires broke out. According to preliminary data, the occupiers attacked with Shahed kamikaze drones. The school building, office buildings, and the cultural facility caught fire.

Pollution caused directly by hostilities

According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, from February 24, 2022, to May 24, 2023, 388,636 explosive objects were neutralized on the territory of Ukraine. An area of 865 square kilometers was surveyed.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, the volume of work on demining and mine risk prevention has grown exponentially. This was stated during a briefing by Colonel Mykhailo Konopelniuk, Senior Officer of the Support Department of the Administration of the State Special Transport Service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

Due to Russian aggression, Ukraine's territory has experienced the highest level of contamination with explosive objects worldwide. Currently, the area that needs to be surveyed exceeds 174,000 square kilometers, including 14,000 square kilometers of marine waters. This accounts for about one-third of Ukraine’s area.

The recovery of liberated territories and the reconstruction of housing, transportation, and critical infrastructure can only be achieved after thorough humanitarian demining. Critical infrastructure facilities, such as railway tracks, bridges, roads, power lines, and others, are being cleared as a first priority. The second priority is agricultural lands, followed by industrial and agricultural enterprises, households, and other objects.

Russian occupiers have wiped the city of Bakhmut off the face of the earth. Maxar Technologies has published high-resolution satellite images comparing some districts of Bakhmut in May 2022 and May 2023.

Residential areas, schools, shops, and other infrastructures have turned into smoldering debris. Parts of the city that were surrounded by trees and parks a year ago are now completely devoid of any vegetation and covered in brown-red dust and rubble.

The destruction of buildings and settlements leads to environmental pollution with construction waste and asbestos. The consequences of such pollution for the environment will be felt for years.

Damage to natural reserves and protected ecosystems

Foresters, together with the State Emergency Service unit, continue to contain forest fires in the Semenivska community in the Novhorod-Siverskyi district of the Chernihiv region close to the border with Russia.

The forest caught fire as a result of Russian shelling about a week ago. Due to hostilities at the border and engineering and technical defenses, it is still impossible to determine the extent of the fires.
Foresters continue to create mineralized strips in the forests and around adjacent settlements. Firefighting with the involvement of fire equipment and personnel is not possible due to the constant threat to life and health.

According to the Forests of Ukraine State Enterprise, the damage inflicted by Russian occupiers to the Trostyanets Forestry in the Sumy region amounts to UAH 95 million. Over one year after liberation, the branch has almost fully restored all the affected units. Soon, the automotive workshop, which was reduced to ashes and scrap metal during the occupation, will also be operational. A seed-breeding plant with a closed root system is being built in the neighboring branch of the Lebedyn Forestry Enterprise.

The ban on visiting forests will continue to be in effect in Kyiv. Deputy Chairman of the Kyiv City State Administration Petro Panteleiev announced this. He noted that some forest areas near Kyiv were the zone of military operations, and explosive objects may still be present there.

The city services are responsible for over 30,000 hectares of forest. Demining work is ongoing. Foresters will install informational signs at the entrances to the forests, indicating the prohibition of visits. This applies to both walking and using vehicles to access the forest.

Damage to freshwater resources

Experts from the IAEA note that the Russian occupiers have stopped draining the Kakhovka reservoir, but now the situation is deteriorating again due to the water level exceeding the safety limit for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the  May 19 report on the IAEA's website states.

"The experts of the Agency continue to monitor the water level of the Kakhovka reservoir, which provides water for cooling the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Over the past month, the water level of the reservoir has significantly risen and on May 6 reached a historical maximum of 17.12 meters, which raised concerns that the high water level could have a negative impact on the plant," the statement said.

The IAEA assures that the water level is currently stable at 17.06 meters. The level of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant site is 22 meters, which is approximately 5 meters higher than the current water level of the reservoir.

Black and Azov Seas

Russian occupiers are destroying the unique Dzharylhach National Park in the Kherson region.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian occupation forces have connected the Dzharylhach Island with the occupied mainland part of the Kherson region near the village of Lazurne, creating an artificial sand passage to the island. This has been done to enhance the use of the nature reserve area for military purposes. In particular, the occupiers have established a military training ground on the island.

Dzharylhach Bay, with the island, is one of the most important and unique wetland areas on the planet, protected by the Ramsar Convention. Unique species of dolphins, such as the bottlenose dolphin and the common dolphin, inhabit this area.

The closure of the Lazurne strait will lead to siltation and degradation of the entire bay's ecosystems, disrupting fish migration processes, which are a food source for wetland birds. Such actions by the occupiers are a direct crime against nature.

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