Ukraine, Sweden, and UNDP Strengthen Assessment of Environmental Damage from War
The issue of documenting the environmental consequences of war, assessing the damage caused, and developing strategies for environmental recovery became the main topics of the UNDP project council meeting on assessing environmental damage. The event was attended by Igor Zubovich, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine, Olena Kryvoruchkina, Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management, representatives of the State Environmental Inspection, international partners, and experts.
This is reported by AgroReview
New Research on the Environmental Consequences of War
During the meeting at the Coordination Center for Assessing Environmental Damage, established within the UNDP project with the support of the Swedish government, the results of studies identifying explosive substances in soils, detecting contamination of water resources and aquatic organisms due to hostilities were presented. Attention was also given to the gender aspect of assessing environmental damage. A pilot case of the national nature park “Kamyanska Sich” was discussed, focusing on approaches to assessing damage and restoring areas affected by the war.
“For an adequate assessment of environmental damage and subsequent compensation for losses, the consolidation of efforts from all government bodies and the strengthening of international support is critically important. In the context of a full-scale war, the Ministry is systematically working on environmental protection, and the presented studies form the necessary analytical basis for decision-making and improving state policy,” said Igor Zubovich.
Strengthening Ukraine’s Capacity to Document Environmental Damage
Participants in the meeting confirmed their readiness to continue cooperation to enhance Ukraine’s capabilities in documenting and compensating for environmental damage caused by Russian aggression. As part of the UNDP project, 10 mini-mobile laboratories and 15 modern drones were transferred to the State Environmental Inspection in 2025, 12 laboratories were supplied with reagents and consumables, and over 600 inspectors received the necessary equipment for their work.
Additionally, within the project, training events were organized for inspectors to enhance their qualifications in the field of detecting and assessing environmental damage.