Russian aggression in Ukraine has caused about $60 billion in environmental damage, Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Perebyinis said during a joint briefing with the Foreign Ministry and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), UNN reports citing the press service of the Ukrainian diplomatic agency.
Perebyinis emphasized that the war, in addition to numerous human losses and destruction, caused significant environmental damage.
Ukrainian experts have already recorded more than 5,800 cases of direct environmental damage, which, according to preliminary estimates, caused losses of about $60 billion
He recalled that the undermining of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam by Russian troops in June 2023 resulted in large-scale land flooding in about 80 settlements with more than 16,000 people. This terrorist attack seriously affected the potential of the region's agricultural sector, and at least four national parks, a biosphere reserve, and other areas were affected.
Russia's criminal occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, as well as its current plans to strike at the energy infrastructure of other nuclear power plants, endangers the environment not only in Ukraine but also in the entire region. All this transboundary environmental damage directly affects people's health, well-being, and economic potential in both Ukraine and neighboring countries
He emphasized that the negative effects of the Russian war on natural ecosystems go far beyond Ukraine.