The war is not only a human catastrophe, it is also a significant blow to the country’s ecology: the Kakhovka Reservoir was destroyed after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station was blown up (a powerful stream of water flooded 620 square kilometres of land, destroying more than 11,000 hectares of forest land. Millions of mollusks, fish and reptiles died on the drained bottom of the Kakhovka reservoir), a huge amount of war waste is accumulating daily, and soil is being contaminated and land is being polluted by construction waste and fragments of missile and shell warheads; the detonation of military missiles, artillery shells and mines produces toxic organic matter, oxidising the surrounding soil, wood and structures. Another significant consequence is the massive destruction of forest protection belts, artificial engineering structures that have been created over decades to compensate for the negative impact of ploughing the steppes.
A view of the DniproHES dam and the newly formed beaches of Khortytsia Island after the water level in Dnipro River fell, caused by the Kakhovka HPP Dam destruction on July 9, 2023 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. After the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant Dam, the water level in the Dnipro River in Zaporizhzhia Oblast dropped significantly, leaving behind bare stones, dead fish, various debris that had been lying on the bottom for decades and forming new beaches and landscapes.
A view of dry soil of the Rozumivka Village after the Kakhovka HPP Dam destruction on June 30, 2023 in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine.
A fish hangs on a branch killed because of the water outflow of the Dnipro River receded after the Kakhovka HPP Dam destruction on June 20, 2023 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
Dry soil and nymphaeas of the nature reserve zone Plavni are seen after the Kakhovka HPP Dam destruction on June 27, 2023 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
Turtle on the dry soil and nymphaeas of the nature reserve zone Plavni are seen after the Kakhovka HPP Dam destruction on June 27, 2023 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
People walk along the newly formed beaches along the Dnipro River after the Kakhovka HPP Dam destruction on July 18, 2023 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. The water line before the dam was destroyed can be seen on the pier structure.
Over 100 volunteers cleaned up garbage in the Khortytsia Nature Reserve on July 29, 2023 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. After the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP, the water level in the Dnipro River dropped, creating hectares of new beaches and revealing a lot of garbage that had been underwater for many years. The garbage poses a threat to wild and rare animals living in the reserve: there have already been cases of paws being injured by glass and animals getting entangled in nets. In 5 hours of work, volunteers collected about half a ton of garbage: car tires, bottles, cans, fragments of long-sunken boats, remains of fishing gear, and more.
Divers of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine remove remnants of a Russian missile from the water on March 31, 2023 in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine. As of March 31, 2023, 174 thousand square kilometers of potentially dangerous areas remained in Ukraine, which is 30% of the total area of the country. Since February 24, 2022, the State Emergency Service has defused 338981 explosive devices. Due to the proximity of the front-line and regular shelling of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, a pyrotechnic unit of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine receives daily requests to remove and neutralize explosive devices in unoccupied areas.
Explosive items during a SES lecture for volunteers on mine risk and actions to take when finding suspicious items on April 7, 2023 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
A fragment of a rocket on a beach in Rozumivka village on June 30, 2023 in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine.
An exterior view of buildings destroyed by a Russian missile strike on January 23, 2025 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Russian army launched a missile strike on the city, resulting in the destruction of residential buildings, Palace of Culture and industrial facility, and leaving one person dead, 45 people wounded including a two-month-old baby and 4 rescuers. Experts from the State Environmental Inspectorate have determined that the total area contaminated by the waste from the destruction of building structures and shell parts after missile strike on 22 and 23 January in the Shevchenkivskyi district of Zaporizhzhia is over 6,000 m2.
Trees damaged after a Russian missile strike on a hotel on August, 11, 2023 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. One person was killed, nineteen people were traumatised, including four children.