As far back as 14 May 2025, the State Environmental Inspectorate issued an order requiring the National Military Memorial Cemetery (NMMC) in the Kyiv region to resolve the issue of water drainage from the site. Following a series of flooding incidents, the collapse of temporary embankments and nine months after the deadline for complying with the order, residents of Markhalivka held a protest outside the State Environmental Inspectorate’s building.
According to the Kyiv Ecological and Cultural Centre (KECC), the protesters are demanding an end to the inaction and that the National Military Memorial Cemetery finally be compelled to comply with the regulatory body’s requirements.
“The community is demanding an immediate re-inspection of NMMC with the participation of its representatives and warns that responsibility for any consequences will lie not only with those who committed the violations, but also with those who were obliged to stop them but failed to do so,” the activists stated.
Ignored Obligations
According to KECC, the SEI directive required the NMMC to:
- obtain a permit for special water use,
- equip stormwater and drainage outlets with measuring devices,
- monitor the volume, quality, and content of pollutants,
- and prepare a passport for the channel pond on the Chervona River, from which the NMMC was uncontrollably drawing water to irrigate the cemetery grounds.
Four months were allotted for the implementation of these requirements. However, neither by September 13, 2025, when the deadline for implementing the directive expired, nor today, July 13, 2026, have the works been carried out. This was also acknowledged by the SEI.
Rainfalls that Exposed Project Vulnerabilities
Recent heavy rains have demonstrated what experts and the public had previously warned: this area is not suitable for a cemetery. Precipitation has eroded burial sites and construction areas of the memorial, causing soil subsidence. Residents are deeply concerned about the potential danger posed by such water. Moreover, it still remains officially undetermined where the water from the cemetery actually flows.
The complex’s design provided for the drainage of stormwater, groundwater, and drainage water from the channel pond via a pipe under the M-05 highway. However, according to activists, the discharge standards, permits, and controls for this issue are still lacking.
It is worth recalling that, back in January 2026, the Supreme Court of Ukraine declared illegal the decision of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration which changed the intended use of the Markhalivka Forest for the construction of the NMMC. In August 2025, the court of appeal recognized the allocation of land for the memorial as unlawful.
Despite this, the development of the national memorial continues. Therefore, the Supreme Court will once again review the legality of the previous courts’ decisions. Simultaneously, the Bureau of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention is also demanding explanations from Ukraine regarding the construction of the NMMC in the Markhalivka Forest.
The Markhalivka Forest is part of the Emerald Network. As with any territory of this status, any interference with the ecosystem here is strictly prohibited.
Сomplicating the situation further is the fact that the forest contains swampy areas and numerous natural watercourses. Dubious hydraulic structures built for land drainage have already been destroyed by heavy rain. Activists point out that water from burial sites enters the natural riverbed, posing an environmental threat and a danger to human health.
