Russia is targeting several sites in Ukraine as part of its invasion. If they are destroyed or damaged, this could lead to environmental disasters both short-term and long-term.
Russian forces began an invasion in Ukraine on Thursday. They targeted an oil refinery close to Kyiv, causing its closure and destroying its fuel supply. Ukraine also intercepted a missile that was meant to target the Kyiv reservoir, which could have caused severe flooding in Kiev.
The Dnipro River is the 1,400-mile waterway that divides Kyiv. It also runs through most of the country.
A dam breach would result in a flood in Kyiv, a humanitarian crisis, and a cascade effect on other locks along the Dnipro. This was stated by a representative of the Ukrainian Volunteer Journalists Initiative, a group of volunteers who keep a daily record of casualties as well as damage.
Russia also attacked the Shebel oil refinery outside of Kyiv. This caused a fire that UVJI estimates has caused billions in environmental damage. The Shebel oil refinery, which is one of two in the country, was the country’s second largest gasoline and diesel producer until Saturday.
It will continue to burn for a long period of time. It will cause enormous environmental damage, Anton Gerashchenko (an adviser to Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs) said Sunday.
Ukrainian officials also reported that Russian forces set fire to a Kharkiv natural gas pipeline, which is the nation’s second-biggest. However, the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine confirmed that there has been no disruption in service.
Another representative from UVJI said that the invasion poses a huge environmental threat because of the large number of strategic objects we have. We are a large industrial nation, so there are many of these… risk areas.
Another risk factor is Ukraine’s 15 nuclear power stations, which are the largest fleet of any country. According to a representative of UVJI, the same intercepted strike that hit the reservoir could have also damaged one of these sites.
Ukrainian regulators reported that all nations’ plants were operating normally as of Tuesday morning. However, Energoatom CEO Petro Kotin called for the International Atomic Energy Agency to place a protective zone around the units of around 18 miles.
I continue to monitor developments in Ukraine closely and with grave concern, particularly the possible impact of conflicts on the safety and security the country’s nuclear facilities. Rafael Mariano Grossi from the IAEA said Tuesday that it was crucial that no nuclear power plant is at risk. An accident involving Ukraine’s nuclear facilities could have grave consequences for the environment as well as public health.
Representatives from UVJI confirmed to The Hill the fact that a Russian missile struck a Kyiv facility for nuclear waste disposal over the weekend as originally reported by Ukrainian officials.
The government claimed that the facility had sustained damage, but UVJI representatives stated that there was no risk of a nuclear waste leakage. They claimed that the strike had caused damage to monitoring equipment at the facility. The equipment has since been repaired and is showing slightly higher gamma activity.
They said that the capture of Chernobyl Station, the site of the worst ever nuclear accident in history, was more concerning. According to an environmental lawyer with the UVJI, Russian forces have taken hostages staff and forced them to continue work. She said that although the workers were generally treated well, they have not been allowed to rotate shifts. This means that they are basically sleeping rough there.
Ukraine has no control over Chernobyl’s power station. [and]She explained that she cannot guarantee that everything will work properly.
She said that Russian media have exaggerated the extent to Russia has taken over energy infrastructure, in an attempt to create panic and harm Ukrainian morale. She said that Russian media reported on Monday the capture of another nuclear power plant, but that Ukrainian officials have confirmed that the station is still under Ukrainian control.
She said that Russian forces are always trying to capture Ukrainian energy, thermal, and other power plants because these are strategic and very important.
Representatives from UVJI stated that Russian forces see Europe’s environment and Ukraine as strategic targets in their invasion. He said that they are holding the environment hostage. If they succeed, the environmental byproduct could be especially large.
Another representative said that the aftereffects from attacks on energy and infrastructure are not being considered enough.
If the attack on the Kyiv dam had been successful, it would have not only displaced or drowned the people living in the area but also caused significant disruptions to the river’s environment that would last for many years.
The floodwater would not only destroy the left bank but also cause irreparable damage. [Kyiv]It would also reach the south and destroy a lot nuclear power stations and infrastructure, he said.
