The war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine leads not only to numerous human casualties, economic and social losses, but also causes devastating damage to the ecology of the entire country.
During hostilities, the environment becomes an “invisible victim”, because now some consequences may not be felt. However, they will become noticeable in the coming years.
According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, at least 5,531 cases of negative impact on the environment have been registered since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation:
destruction of forests
destruction of water resources
contamination of soil and agricultural land with heavy metals and other toxic substances (as a result of explosions, chemical spills, etc.)
pollution of water resources with toxic substances
atmospheric air pollution, etc
The total amount of damages is estimated at 2.562 trillion hryvnias.
For example, deforestation:
leads to a decrease in the natural absorption of carbon dioxide
causes soil erosion
deprives many species of flora and fauna of their natural habitat (which can cause irreversible loss of biodiversity and affect entire ecosystems)
It is known that military actions on the territory of Ukraine have already led to the contamination of more than 5 million hectares of agricultural land, which directly affects the country’s food security.
The destruction of infrastructure, such as sewage treatment plants and water pipes, causes toxic substances to leak into water bodies:
deteriorating water quality
complicating access to drinking water (about 5 million Ukrainians remained without access to clean water as a result of Russian aggression)
threatening people’s health
threatening flora and fauna
In addition, the war has already caused additional emissions of 175 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, it is known that significant emissions of greenhouse gases, which accompany military actions, cause long-term changes in the climatic situation.
Therefore, the environmental crimes of the aggressor country already have a negative impact on all spheres of life of Ukrainians.
The impact of environmental crimes of the Russian Federation on people’s rights
Equally important is the fact that Russia’s environmental crimes affect the observance of basic human rights.
For example, water and air pollution violates the right to a safe environment, affecting the health of the population. And man-made disasters, such as flooding due to the explosion of the Kakhovskaya HPP, lead to people losing their homes and means of livelihood.
Given the scale of environmental crimes in the Russian Federation, it is necessary to act today. That is why Ukraine and the international community must continue:
document all cases of environmental crimes
to work on bringing the Russian Federation to justice.
Currently, work is being done to appeal to international courts and initiate the inclusion of ecocide in the Rome Statute – as one of the main international crimes.