Crimes against the environment – the eternal companions of war. However, russia’s aggression is a particularly difficult case. Our enemy openly ignores all the rules of man-made safety which can lead to a number of environmental disasters on an international scale, as pollution is spread by winds and rivers over long distances.
The largest of the occupiers’ environmental crimes were caused by direct hostilities. The remnants of destroyed military equipment and the fuel that flows from it are found in our soils and groundwater every day. As of mid-April, there were about 75,000 tons of carbon and stainless steel, 2,500 tons of aluminum; 1,000 tons of copper and more than 360 tons of titanium and magnesium. It is not yet possible to send this scrap metal for recycling.
Explosions of enemy missiles and mines damage the soil, burn plants, kill forest dwellers. The occupiers left many “gifts” in the forests and fields. Our pyrotechnicians have a lot of work – in the Kharkiv region (3360 departures), the Kyiv region (1450 departures) and the Mykolaiv region (1177 departures).
Special danger – banned munitions with white phosphorus, which the russians dropped on Mariupol and other settlements in eastern Ukraine. As a result, we have intensified fires and contaminated soils, which exacerbate environmental disasters in destroyed settlements.
Ukrainian forests also suffer from enemies. The fighting covered 3 million hectares, the area of forest fires increased 25 times! Moreover, as of the end of April, the occupiers had attacked more than 900 protected areas with an area of 1.24 million hectares. This is more than a third of the protected area of Ukraine! Orcs destroy trees for their fortifications and frighten wildlife that flees, leaving offspring.
Separate pain – water resources. russian shelling is destroying water treatment systems in cities in eastern Ukraine, resulting in sewage entering rivers without any filtration. Meanwhile, due to the destruction of dams, water washes away landfills and latrine pits, polluting everything in its path. Like the russian ship, which went to the bottom with fuel, missiles and torpedoes.
We will learn about the general loss of the environment only after the end of the war. Now in our country new methods of estimation of losses, in particular – and atmospheric air are introduced. Based on the information gathered, Ukraine will apply to the UN International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
By the way, Kuwait demanded compensation for the damage to the environment caused by the war – and won! The country received payments from Iraq for its occupation in 1990-1991. So, Ukraine need to gather a solid evidence base: photos, videos and eyewitness accounts. They can now be transmitted via the SaveEcoBot chatbot to Telegram (t.me/SaveEcoBot) or Viber (chats.viber.com/saveecobot).
russia must compensate for everything it destroyed!
by Deputy of Kiev city Kostyantyn Yalovy/