Assessing the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on nature : New challenges to sustainable development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24425/jwld.2025.156052Abstract
One of the global challenges on the path to sustainable management of natural resources is the negative impact of the long-term Russian-Ukrainian war. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the results of the review and ecological and economic assessment of the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on natural resources with a special focus special focus on atmospheric air, land, soil and water resources. A theoretical and bibliometric analysis of publications on the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on the environment of Ukraine was carried out. The amount of damage caused to the atmospheric air, land and water resources, as well as the natural reserve fund of Ukraine, was summarised. According to preliminary estimates, in the first three years (as of April 2025), the Russian-Ukrainian war caused environmental damage of UAH4.0 tn, which is equivalent to USD99.8 bn or EUR92.2 bn. The largest share in the structure of environmental damage is caused by damage to the nature reserve fund (47.1%) and land resources (30.5%). Water resources accounted for the smallest share (2.9%), while air pollution accounted for 19.5% of total environmental damage. However, this is only a part of the damage documented in accordance with the existing methods in the territories controlled by Ukrainian authorities. Compensation for this damage by reparations should be the basis for the post-war restoration of militarily degraded natural resources. The feasibility of sustainable post-war restoration of agrarian nature use is substantiated, involving the use of sustainable management practices and innovative technologies.References
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