It has now been more than ten days since Russia, led by Putin, has started to invade Ukraine and create a war on their soil, making it the largest conventional military attack on a sovereign state in Europe since World War II. Of course, the war that is going on in Ukraine is first of all a catastrophe for the populations on the spot. All of our thoughts and prayers are with the Ukrainian population. However, it is also a disaster for the environment, which is subject to numerous pollution that will expose the ecosystems to long-term damage, where populations, after suffering enough already from the violence, will have side effects years after. Indeed, bombings, fires, contaminated water, radioactive leaks... The war against Ukraine is polluting. The damage could be irreversible. The soil is permanently contaminated. And the fallout will be studied in the coming weeks.
Just one day after the Russian invasion, the Conflict and Environment Monitoring Centre (CEOBS) drew up an initial, non-exhaustive assessment of the damage. In various towns, such as Kalynivka, Krasnopillia, Zhitomir, Chuhuyev, fires on military infrastructure were reported. The fires on military infrastructure and airfields released dangerous air pollution consisting of toxic gasses, fine particles and heavy metals, which then spread to areas where civilians live. In the long term, the damage could be significant and the soil permanently contaminated.
On the maritime side also the environment was not spared. Many ships were sunk and ports were bombed, such as those of Pivdenny or Ochakiv, in the immediate vicinity of the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, one of the largest protected natural areas in Ukraine, which is home to several endangered species.
Unfortunately here, Ukraine is a highly industrialized country with many chemical and metallurgical factories which, if they were to be attacked or if the lack of personnel led to a decrease in security, could become very dangerous. Especially since many large cities host these industries and are at the same time on the front line, such as Kiev, Kharkiv or Mariupol.
But the most important environmental threat is the nuclear risk. Ukraine has the eighth largest nuclear power plant in the world with 15 reactors in operation, and uses them to produce nearly 50% of its electricity. In the first days of the conflict, the Russian army seized the infamous nuclear power plant of Tchernobyl. The movements of the tanks on the still polluted grounds caused an increase of the radiation around the site. Similarly, two radioactive waste storage sites were hit by missiles near Kiev, apparently without dispersing radioactive material. Ukraine has nearly 15 nuclear reactors. This is the first time that a war has broken out in such a nuclearized area. The longer the conflict lasts, the greater will be the impact on the landscape, with all its scars on the population, biodiversity and ecosystems. Our only hope is that the war stops and the Ukrainians will be saved, and in the long run, not damaged too much by the physical, psychological and environmental impacts of this tragic event. As a reminder, as part of the ESCP community, we condemn the actions of Putin, and stand by Ukraine.
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