Russian war inflicts € 72.9 billion environmental damage on Ukraine

Olha Yukhymchuk, deputy minister of environmental protection and natural resources for European integration, says that since the start of Russia’s all-out war, Ukraine has recorded over 7,000 environmental crimes, with damages exceeding €72.9 billion, according to Ukraine’s Ecology Ministry.

Russia’s military actions in Ukraine have not only resulted in human suffering but also inflicted severe damage on the environment. In 2023, Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka dam, releasing 18.2 cubic kilometers of water. This event resulted in the death of aquatic life and the destruction of over 11,000 hectares of forest. The war has also resulted in the contamination of 20.8 million square meters of soil and the release of 175 million tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

31 civilians died following Russia’s destruction of the Kakhovka dam

Yukhymchuk noted that the data on environmental damage will form the basis for Ukraine’s green recovery efforts.

“The Ministry of Environment is currently drafting a framework law, ‘On the Fundamentals of Green Recovery,’ which will define key principles and sustainable approaches to rebuilding the country in line with European standards,” the officil added.

Earlier, two Russian tankers sank near the Kerch strait off the coast of occupied Crimea following hull breaches caused by a severe storm. For a month after the incident, an oil spill continued to spread and reached partially Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

In January 2025, Russian Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov called the spill “one of the most serious environmental challenges we have faced in recent years,” according to CNN.

The Emergencies Ministry said that over 155,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil had been collected since the tankers sank, releasing the mazut — a heavy, low-quality oil product.

Related:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!