by Kate Bossert (UKR-TAZ intern; see her UKR-TAZ piece on Russian cyber threats here)
In all armed conflicts, land and nature are among the most immediate casualties, yet these devastating effects on the environment never seem to be prioritized in mass media or in conversations about wars. The environment is often the silent victim of war. In the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the natural world has endured ongoing widespread and long-term environmental damage that could continue to negatively affect the country for centuries.
A recent article in the Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology (Hryhorczuk et al) provides an in-depth analysis of the environmental health impacts of Russia’s war on Ukraine, including coverage of air and water pollution, chemical contamination, habitat destruction, and much more. And the excellent first issue of the London Ukrainian Review, published in March, focused on various dimensions of this topic. Other coverage of it can be found here, here, here, and here, and see the bibliography of sources below.
One of the most devastating events affecting Ukrainian territory was the well-known destruction of Ukraine’s largest dam, Kakhovka, on June 6th, 2023, by Russian forces. This tragedy qualified as ecocide and the worst environmental disaster in Europe since Chernobyl. Russian troops blew up the dam and the hydroelectric infrastructure, destroying it and releasing massive amounts of water. Impacts of the event included leaving 700,000 people without clean drinking water, demolishing wildlife and natural habitats, and unleashing more than a thousand potential sources of pollution from flooded sites. (For further reading on its impacts, see here, here, here, here, here and here.)
The attack elicited great controversy over whether or not to rebuild the Kakhovka dam. In the month following the flood, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine passed a decree on the reconstruction of the reservoir and dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant (HPP). Ukrhydroenergo, the biggest hydro power generating company in Ukraine, is in strong support of this bill as the company wants to build a new HPP with an output of 550-600 megawatts. From an economic perspective, rebuilding the reservoir could entice residents back to abandoned homes, weekend dachas, and fishing boats along the former shoreline. And considering the inconceivable social and environmental costs this catastrophe has had on Ukraine, it can appear to be logical and necessary to rebuild the dam.
But the solution to this disaster is not so black and white, and many environmentalists have argued against restoring the reservoir. Environmental activist Eugene Simonov stated that the previous reservoir already produced “very low-quality water with a lot of pollution“, and so the 2,000 square kilometers of land could be used in a much more environmentally and economically productive way. Additionally, if the Kakhovka reservoir restoration project goes ahead, it will be necessary to destroy all of these 1,800 square kilometers of natural ecosystems that have now begun to form. To learn more about the Kakhovka dam debate, see here, here and here.
Despite all the chaos and environmental damage that has and continues to occur in this war-stricken country, plans are being formed and action has been taken to improve the current environmental crisis in Ukraine. The international Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS) has been covering the climate crisis in Ukraine and discussing progress as well as necessary steps forward for Ukraine, including climate mainstreaming and building capacity for a green transition.
But these eco-friendly transitions can only happen with extensive funding and support from other countries (especially the U.S.). As highlighted in the Ten-Step plan to address environmental impact of war in Ukraine, Ukrainian “organizations are calling on the international community to act now.” There are also conservation groups in Ukraine making headway, including the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group and other supportive organizations (e.g. see here).
Further reading
Conflict and Environment Observatory. Ukraine page. https://ceobs.org/countries/ukraine/
Conflict and Environment Observatory. (2023, July 28). “Analyzing the environmental consequences of the Kakhovka Dam Collapse.” https://ceobs.org/analysing-the-environmental-consequences-of-the-kakhovka-dam-collapse/
Conflict and Environment Observatory (2023, February). “Ten-Step plan to address environmental impact of war in Ukraine.” ReliefWeb. https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ten-step-plan-address-environmental-impact-war-ukraine
Conflict and Environment Observatory (2023, November). “Ukraine Conflict Environmental Briefing.” Conflict and Environment Observatory . https://ceobs.org/ukraine-conflict-environmental-briefing-the-climate-crisis/
Denisov, N. (2024, February). “Environmental Restoration of Ukraine.” Conflict and Environment Observatory . https://ceobs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Environmental-Restoration-of-Ukraine.pdf
Dovzhyk, S., ed. (2024, March 8). “War on the Environment” special issue. London Ukrainian Review no. 1 https://ukrainet.eu/2024/03/08/lur-war-on-the-environment/
Hubareva, V. (2024, March 4). “Rebuilding the Kakhovka dam is a mistake, but what should be done instead?” Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group. https://uwecworkgroup.info/rebuilding-the-kakhovka-dam-is-a-mistake-but-what-should-be-done-instead/
Hubareva, V. (2024, March 4). “Ukrainian environmentalists unite against reconstruction of Kakhovka dam.” Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group. https://uwecworkgroup.info/ukrainian-environmentalists-unite-against-reconstruction-of-kakhovka-dam/
Hryhorczuk, D., Levy, B. S., Prodanchuk, M., Kravchuk, O., Bubalo, N., Hryhorczuk, A., & Erickson, T. B. (2024, January 5). “The environmental health impacts of Russia’s war in Ukraine.” Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology. https://occup-med.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12995-023-00398-y
Ecoaction. “Introduction to Ecoaction: Our Work During and Beyond the War.” https://en.ecoaction.org.ua/intro
Klerk, L. de, Shlapak, M., Gassan-zade, O., & Korthuis, A. (2024, June 13). “Climate damage caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine.” Ecoaction. https://en.ecoaction.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Climate-Damage-Caused-by-War-24-months-EN.pdf
Mygal, M. (2023, December 20). “War and ecology: Why does nature fall victim to armed conflict?” Institute of Analytics and Advocacy. https://iaa.org.ua/en/articles/vijna-ta-ekologiya-chomu-pryroda-staye-zhertvoyu-zbrojnogo-konfliktu/
Norwegian Refugee Council. (2023, September). “100 days since Kakhovka dam disaster: People facing water shortages, housing woes and blackout fears.” ReliefWeb. https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/100-days-kakhovka-dam-disaster-people-facing-water-shortages-housing-woes-and-blackout-fears
Papoyan, K. (2023, July). “Is restoring Ukraine’s Kakhovka Dam the right thing to do?” European News. https://www.euronews.com/2023/07/13/is-restoring-the-kakhovka-dam-the-best-thing-for-the-environment-and-ukraines-recovery
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. “Rapid study of Kakhovka Dam breach impacts will support biodiversity’s recovery” (2023, March). https://www.ceh.ac.uk/press/rapid-study-kakhovka-dam-breach-impacts-will-support-biodiversitys-recovery
European Parliament (report). (2023). “Russia’s war on Ukraine: High environmental toll.” https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2023/751427/EPRS_ATA(2023)751427_EN.pdf
Ukrhydroenergo (State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management). https://en.uhe.gov.ua
Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group. https://uwecworkgroup.info/ An excellent web site produced by an expert collaborative.
Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group. https://uncg.org.ua/en/ Includes recent news articles.
Wikipedia Foundation. (2024, July 3). Environmental impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_the_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine
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