2023-01-16T10:33:00+02:00 Politics 2024-09-15T05:59:55+03:00

Ukrainian news

Occupiers cause USD 46 billion in environmental damage since war start

Occupiers cause USD 46 billion in environmental damage since war start

The amount of damage to the Ukrainian environment from Russia's armed aggression amounts to over USD 46 billion. Ukraine will demand compensation for these losses.

This is stated in the message of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources with reference to the comment of Minister of Environmental Protection Ruslan Strilets for The Economist.

"The main part of the calculated losses today is air pollution – USD 27 billion. In just 10 months, as a result of the Russian invasion, more than 42 million tons of greenhouse gases entered the air. This amount can be compared with the annual emissions of Bulgaria," said Strilets.

According to him, the main causes of emissions were forest fires and attacks by occupiers on energy infrastructure facilities.

According to the State Inspectorate, more than 680,000 tons of oil and fuel have already burned as a result of Russian shelling.

Also, the war damaged almost a third of Ukrainian forests, while at least 23,300 hectares were completely burned.

According to Strilets, the damage caused by soil pollution is estimated at USD 18 billion.

In total, Ukraine has documented almost 2,300 environmental crimes since the beginning of the large-scale invasion.

Strilets noted that despite the war, Ukraine is already implementing projects to restore the environment.

"In 2022, 180 million new trees were planted as part of the Green Country program of the President of Ukraine, and in September 2022, a new forest seed center was opened just a few kilometers from the border with Belarus. By opening the forest seed center on the border with Belarus, we showed them that we are not afraid and that victory will be ours," the minister emphasized

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, since the beginning of the war, occupiers have caused damage to the infrastructure of Ukraine in the amount of USD 136 billion.