Water in the Fire of War: Russia Destroyed Nearly 750 Objects of Ukraine's Water Infrastructure.

As a result of the war, the water used for drinking has suffered significant damage. Pumping stations have been destroyed, pipelines damaged, and hydraulic structures are being obliterated. As a result, cities and regions are left without access to quality drinking water.

According to estimates from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, since the start of the invasion, 744 objects of water infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed.

One of the most tragic cases of the war was the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station (HES) in June 2023. After this, about 700 thousand people were left without access to drinking water both in occupied territories and in areas controlled by Ukraine.

'The destruction of the Kakhovka HES led to the loss of more than 14 billion liters of drinking water. This amount would be enough for the entire world's population to consume for two days,' said Sergey Vlasenko, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitalization, during an expert discussion 'Water in the Fire of War.'

According to a member of parliament, head of the subcommittee on forestry resources, biodiversity, natural landscapes, and objects of the natural reserve fund, Yulia Ovchinnikova, the damage to Ukraine's environment due to the war is estimated at 3.814 trillion hryvnias, of which more than 104 billion hryvnias is damage to water resources. This data is based on official information obtained through the 'EcoThreat' platform. A total of 7,940 violations of nature conservation laws have been recorded, of which 216 pertain to water resources. Such actions can be classified as ecocide under Article 441 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

As a state that has ratified the Rome Statute, Ukraine intends to appeal to the International Criminal Court to hold those responsible accountable for environmental crimes committed during the war. The environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine have a transboundary nature and affect other countries through pollution of the Black Sea, creating a threat to the environmental security of the entire world.