Ukraine’s Ecology in Danger
Ukrainians have a strong attachment to their land as the “breadbasket of Europe”. The land, environment, nature, and wildlife have not been under attack like this since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. Unfortunately, it has not been covered enough in the media, and many are unaware of the long-term global and local consequences unfolding.
I only realized the extent of the damage in the country once I moderated a panel with a nature exhibit on the subject of Ecocide in Ukraine at the Ukraine House in D.C.
The Ecocide Panel
The nature exhibits of Ukraine’s award-winning National Geographic photographer who lost his life on the frontlines of Bakhmut, Denys Kryvyii, were on display along with the panel discussion.
Ecocide is a new concept in the legal and activist lexicon. It is the combination of the Latin words “eco” meaning home, and “cide” to kill.
Similar to genocide, it is the willful and orchestrated destruction of the environment, land, and nature as a war strategy, and it is being waged by Russia against Ukraine.
What is happening in Ukraine that is causing Ecocide?
To hold onto the occupied territories, the Russian Army built approximately 1,000 kilometers of trench lines, planted mines, and installed dragons’ teeth, and the Ukrainians, in turn, built their defensive lines. Artillery, mines, and bombs are used to root out the enemy, and when they explode, they destroy the forests and nature through wildfires and toxins.
Russia attacks Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and its energy grid, causing catastrophic results to nature. In June 2023, the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant was blown up and flooded 63,000 hectares of forest, 60,000 buildings, and 5.8 million square miles of land. The flooding released metals, pesticides, and chemicals into the air and soil and turned some areas into deserts. In addition, hundreds of thousands of aquatic animals died from the flooding.
What are some of the consequences of the War on Ukraine’s Nature?
In a country with heavy rainfall and mud seasons, Ukraine experienced 132,000 wildfires in 2023, destroying three million hectares of forest. Firefighters trying to squelch the fires are exposed to bullets, landmines, and pollutants in the air. One wildfire polluted Kyiv so badly that the population breathed in the equivalent of 600 cigarettes in one hour.
When forests are destroyed by fire, indigenous animals die and are replaced by invasive species. When forests disappear, it creates soil erosion, which washes into Ukrainian rivers and seas, poisoning the drinking water and killing freshwater and saltwater aquatic animals.
What are some of the recommended solutions?
Ukraine needs a lasting peace to clean up and reconstruct the country, which will require the investment of hundreds of billions of dollars. It also needs mobile and permanent laboratories to monitor and collect data on the pollutants in the soil and water. This data will be necessary for clean-up efforts and to build a case for future war crime prosecution. The country will also need to build deep wells in the impacted areas to provide clean drinking water.
It will take fifty years to replenish the forest and to de-mine the country to recover agricultural and livable land. The rivers and the Black Sea, however, will never be effectively de-mined, and the world will have to consider this long-term consequence and risk.
What can be done to help?
We can support environmental, forestry, and de-mining NGOs and charities working in Ukraine to prevent further loss. We can increase awareness and advocate for our governments to provide security guarantees to Ukraine so it can recover.
The International Criminal Court must recognize Ecocide as a war crime, and Russia must be held to account for the loss of humans and nature.
“Ukrainian Nature in Danger” Exhibit and Panel
From April 6th through April 22nd, Denys Kryvyi’s work will be on display at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York City, funded by Ukrainian Jersey City and the SYAO Foundation, and is free to the public. The closing day of the exhibit on April 22nd will include expert panelists discussing the consequences of the ecocide in Ukraine.
We must bring more attention to the ecocide happening in Ukraine. It would be a travesty, indeed, if Ukraine’s nature, which the country loves most in the world, is irreparably destroyed by this war.
Oksana Kukurudza
Moderator of the “Ukrainian Nature in Danger” Panel
The panelists included: Catherine Wanner, a Professor of History, Anthropology, and Religious Studies at Penn State University, Calvin Norman, an Assistant Teaching Professor of Forestry at Penn State University, Julia Markhel and Oleksandra Mukha, Environmental Activists from Let’s Do it Ukraine and Galina Kryvyi, Founder of the Syao Foundation.