There are reports that Ukraine is building a legal case against Russia over alleged environmental crimes it committed during its invasion of the country.
Government officials are reportedly putting together a database, with the aid of open-source information and satellite images, of environmental damages in the aftermath of the Russian attacks.
And reports show that they intend to prosecute the Kremlin under international law and seek reparations.
Ukraine’s deputy minister for energy and environment, Iryna Stavchuk, said that Russia has to pay for all that they have done and that the ultimate goal is that they actually pay for the recovery.
Stavchuk who is leading efforts to document the toll of the war on natural resources and ecosystems, in partnership with international and Ukrainian organisations, said that since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, the State Ecological Inspectorate of Ukraine has recorded 231 cases of environmental damage.
Read also: PM sets up task force to mitigate climate change impact
“There is a lot of local chemical and hazardous pollution on the ground from all the missile attacks and bombings,” Stavchuk said.
Inspectors are said to be travelling to sites which were struck by Russian missiles and bombs to collect soil samples and to monitor pollution levels, where it is safe to do so. They do not have access to some of the hardest-hit areas.
Nonprofits are also said to be helping to gather evidence of the environmental impacts as well as the long-term risks they pose to Ukraine and other countries.
Head of the climate at the Ukrainian non-profit EcoAction, Yevheniia Zasiadko said that the environmental damage caused by Russia’s invasion is extensive and already affecting people’s health and safety.
“EcoAction has been using reports on social media channels, such as Telegram, to monitor incidents across the country. “But it’s impossible to see the full picture,” Zasiadko said.
She explained that Incidents documented by EcoAction include the Russian bombing of oil depots, which increased air pollution over residential areas in Kyiv, explosions around pipelines, which caused oil spills and contaminated water sources, and a Russian strike against a nitrogen tank which dispersed four tonnes of nitric acid.
Story was adapted from Climate Home News.
