How 8 months of war affected Ukraine: the environmental consequences

How 8 months of war affected Ukraine: the environmental consequences shutterstock
Katerina Belousova

Part of Ukrainian forests is lost forever

During the 8 months of the full-scale invasion, eco-inspectors recorded and calculated quantitative indicators of environmental damage from pollution by hazardous substances, fires in forests and at oil depots, etc.

Currently, it is impossible to compile a complete list of damages, because every day experts inspect new objects and de-occupied territories, the State Inspectorate reports on Facebook.

The message emphasized that the war caused large-scale environmental changes that have an extremely negative impact on the natural environment not only of Ukraine, but also of Europe.

8 months of war led to the fact that:

  • 182,880 m2 of soil is contaminated with hazardous substances;
  • 2,365,129 m2 of land is littered with the remains of destroyed objects and ammunition;
  • 680,618 tons of petroleum products burned during the shelling, polluting the air with dangerous substances;
  • 23,286 hectares of forest were burned by rockets and shells, some of which, according to the most optimistic forecasts, will be restored within 10 years, the rest - lost forever;
  • 7,155,689 m2 of facilities, including critical infrastructure, were destroyed, and their remains caused damage to the environment.

Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that Yevgeny Fedorenko, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, said that in 8 months of full-scale invasion Russia has caused more than €37 billion in damage to Ukraine's environment.

As EcoPolitic previously reported, in the Sumy region, eco-inspectors calculated almost 140 million hryvnias in damages from the destruction of the road bridge by the Russian troops across the Psel River near the city of Lebedyn.

Related
This week’s round-up of environmental crimes: the battle for valuable land, as well as deforestation and pollution
This week’s round-up of environmental crimes: the battle for valuable land, as well as deforestation and pollution

A case concerning the destruction of Lviv’s forests, involving over 112 million hryvnias, has been referred to court

The war has killed more than 20,000 Black Sea dolphins since the start of 2026 alone
The war has killed more than 20,000 Black Sea dolphins since the start of 2026 alone

From 2022, the number of animals killed could exceed 100,000

EcoPolitic presents a nationwide review of the use of the eco-tax
EcoPolitic presents a nationwide review of the use of the eco-tax

Local authorities draw up their own environmental programmes as they see fit, often including measures that are open to interpretation

The relaxation of the EU ETS, demands from industry, and forest fires: a round-up of EU economic news
The relaxation of the EU ETS, demands from industry, and forest fires: a round-up of EU economic news

The heatwave is already forcing investors to rethink their approach to risk management, yet the industry still wants to pay less for emissions