As of the first quarter of 2025, the damage caused to the environment by shelling of Ukrainian military facilities is estimated at approximately UAH 367 billion (about $9 billion).
Yuriy Sytnyk, Head of the Environmental Safety Department of the Main Directorate for Mine Action, Civil Protection and Environmental Safety, said this during a roundtable discussion on Environmental Safety and the Consequences of War: Challenges, Threats and Ways to Overcome.
The environmental consequences of the Russian aggression include land contamination with millions of tonnes of construction waste, concrete, glass, asbestos, oil products, heavy metals and explosives, as well as thousands of hectares of forests destroyed by fires.
Sytnyk noted that this data only partially reflects the extent of environmental damage, as a full assessment of the damage requires extensive scientific research and constant monitoring.
‘The Ukrainian Defence Forces defend our country, people, infrastructure and, in particular, the natural environment, which is being significantly damaged every day. The environmental consequences of the war are no less threatening than the humanitarian or economic ones - they are already changing landscapes, polluting soil, water, air and will have a long-term impact on public health and ecosystem resilience,’ he said.
During 2023-2025, the Main Directorate of Mine Action, Civil Protection and Environmental Safety established cooperation with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in projects aimed at environmental rehabilitation.
Among the next steps to overcome the consequences of Russian aggression, Colonel Sytnyk mentioned the establishment of the International Scientific and Technological Centre for Environmental Research and War Consequences Elimination.