In 1000 days of war, Russia has caused environmental damage amounting to 71 billion dollars.

The ecological damage caused by military actions over the past 1000 days amounts to approximately 71 billion dollars. Shelling and forest fires have led to the release of 180 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This was reported by the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Svitlana Grynychuk, during the UN conference on climate change (COP29) in Baku, as the Ministry of Environment reports.

During this period, Russia committed over 6500 crimes against the environment. More than six million Ukrainians were forced to seek temporary refuge in various European countries, resulting in an additional 3.3 million tons of CO2 emissions. The total greenhouse gas emissions caused by the war amount to 180 million tons.

Grynychuk also explained that during the three years of war, the fighting and forest fires have reduced the ability of Ukrainian forests to absorb greenhouse gases by 1.7 million tons. Overall, the war has destroyed 3 million hectares of forest. The area of Ukrainian territory contaminated by explosive objects now totals 139,000 square kilometers, which is double the area of Azerbaijan.

The combustion products released into the air during Russian missile strikes have already reached countries such as Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Serbia, Croatia, and Poland.

Grynychuk emphasized that Ukraine is actively working on restoration without waiting for the end of the war. Ukrainians have planted 555 million trees across an area of over 75,000 hectares to compensate for the forests destroyed by fires. In addition, with the support of partners, 35,000 square kilometers of territory have been made mine-safe.

The war initiated by Russia undermines global efforts to fight climate change. In 2009, developed countries committed to providing 100 billion dollars annually to support climate protection measures in developing countries. At the same Time, Russia plans to spend more than 135 billion dollars on military aggression by 2025.

Ukraine is working with international partners to create mechanisms that render aggression and environmental pollution impermissible and strictly punishable. These efforts are outlined in point 8 of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "peace formula," which addresses ecological safety. Ukraine offers collaboration in documenting environmental damage, developing universal assessment methods for impacts, and formulating global principles for ecological and sustainable reconstruction.

It was previously reported that the damages to Ukraine from environmental destruction due to the war are estimated to amount to 60 billion euros, according to preliminary estimates from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.

It is also worth noting that environmental damages in the Chernihiv and Sumy regions due to the pollution of the Sejm and Desna rivers exceed 405 million hryvnias.

Additionally, it is known that Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe has opened a new office in Kyiv.