More than 150 eco-crimes committed in Ukraine war to date: NGO

By Michael Lee

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    TORONTO (CTV Network) — A group tracking environmental damage during the war in Ukraine says it has documented more than 150 cases to date of what it considers ecological crimes committed by Russian forces.

Based in the capital Kyiv, the Ukrainian non-governmental organization Ecoaction is recording cases of what it says amount to environmental crimes, where military actions by Russian troops cause serious pollution and harm to the ecosystem and people.

“Of course, what we are seeing now in Ukraine, we see that these illegal acts and actions of Russia, they severely damage the environment and they could definitely be classified as eco-crimes,” said Sofia Sadogurska, a climate change expert and member of the Ecoaction team investigating environmental offences committed by Russia.

Speaking to CTV’s Your Morning on Monday, Sadogurska, whose exact location could not be disclosed for security reasons, said this includes soil, water and air pollution, as well as damage to nuclear power plants, oil depots, sea ports and hazardous waste storage facilities.

“Some of these cases could be classified legally as ecological crimes, but definitely all of them cause a lot of damage,” she said.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources also has been recording instances of environmental damage following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, which began on Feb. 24.

Along with environmental concerns surrounding the occupations of the Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants, as well as the shelling and siege of the port city of Mariupol, the ministry has made allegations of recent Russian attacks on a coal mine and gas station.

The ministry also says an intercepted Russian missile damaged a mineral fertilizer tank, contaminating water downstream of it with ammonium and nitrates.

“All these crimes are happening every day,” Sadogurska said.

On the issue of compensation for environmental damage caused by war, Ecoaction has pointed to the precedent of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, during which Iraqi forces set fire to more than 700 oil wells, releasing toxic metals and carcinogens into the atmosphere for months.

As a result, the United Nations Compensation Commission, a subsidiary of the UN Security Council, awarded approximately US$3 billion to Kuwait.

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Sonja Puzic