Hydroelectric dams as weapons: virtual and actual – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group By Oleksii Vasyliuk and Eugene Simonov Translated by Jennifer Castner Dam-based hydropower plants (HPPs) present risks in both wartime and peacetime. Today, the main site of concern in Ukraine is the ...

3/ 🔗 UWEC has previously written about the risks posed by shelling hydroelectric dams in #Ukraine:
uwecworkgroup.info/hydroelectri...

2/ Damage to the dam would lead to widespread flooding of populated areas and agricultural lands on the left bank of the #Oskil River.

This is not the first time #Russia has attacked this dam: damage was recorded in 2022 and in December 2025.

1/💥 On April 14, Russian forces launched 6 strikes on the Pechenizky Dam in #Kharkiv region.

The Pechenizky Reservoir supplies Kharkiv with water, and the dam is effectively a lifeline for evacuations from occupied territories.

🔗 About military risks of HPP:
uwecworkgroup.info/hydroelectri...

3/ 2025 set a record for damage—931 incidents caused by targeted attacks on industry and infrastructure. The war’s #environmental impacts will be felt for decades.

🔗 Read more in our review of the environmental consequences of the war in #Ukraine:
uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...

2/ Environmentalists recorded 2,598 instances of #environmental destruction: burning forests, steppes, nuclear power plants, ports, gas stations, and oil depots.

237 incidents had a large-scale, long-term impact requiring ecosystem restoration.

1/ 💨 Russia’s invasion of #Ukraine has caused colossal damage to climate and nature. Over 4 years, CO2 emissions totaled 311M tons—nearly equivalent to France’s annual #emissions. Combat operations alone accounted for 114M tons, and fires for 70M.

🔗: uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...

5/ We previously reported on the arrest of Ukrainian scientist Leonid #Pshenichnov.

🔗 Read more in the overview of the environmental consequences of the war in #Ukraine for December–February:
uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...

4/ 😠 Against this backdrop, pressure on scientists continues within #Russia itself: in January 2026, researcher Alexei #Dudarev, who studied #Arctic pollution and its impact on human health, was arrested.

3/ However, the territory remains a zone of active hostilities. Experts believe that such decisions could be used to politically legitimize the occupation.

2/ Its boundaries fully coincide with those of the Ukrainian national park and include the territory of the former #Kakhovka Reservoir, where a unique ecosystem began to recover after the hydroelectric power plant was blown up in 2023.

1/ 😡 In an occupied part of the #Zaporizhzhia region, #Russia announced the creation of the “Velykyi Luh” National Park, covering an area of 16,700 hectares.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...

3/ To preserve the #BlackSea ecosystem, scientists are calling for expanded research, enhanced monitoring and the development of a long-term plan for post-war ecological restoration.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...

2/ The destruction of the #Kakhovka hydropower plant has only exacerbated the situation. Changes in maritime logistics, dredging of the #Danube riverbed, and the growth of fishing in the region are creating additional pressure.

1/ 🐬🦭 According to @ceobs.org experts, in 2022, the mortality rate of #BlackSea marine mammals—dolphins and porpoises—more than doubled.

The cause: marine pollution (resulting from infrastructure damage) and the use of sonar.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...

Environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine: Dec 2025 – February 2026 review – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group Alexei Ovchinnikov The UWEC editorial team continues to share highlights of recent media coverage and analysis of the Ukraine war’s environmental consequences with our readers. As always, we welcome r...

4/ Nature will eventually recover, but it will be a different ecosystem and a different story for these places.

🔗 Read more in our review of the environmental consequences of the war in #Ukraine for December–February:
uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...

3/ 😢 After the start of full-scale war, the area experienced fierce fighting. Shelling, fortifications and #deforestation led to the destruction not only of trees but also of the soil. Many species may have perished, and their habitats have been destroyed.

2/ This unique forest complex, formed at the confluence of the Sivirsky Donets, Zherebets, and Krasna rivers, was a rare island of boreal forests in the middle of the steppe and home to many rare species of animals and plants.

1/ 🤬 In the #Luhansk region, the Kreminski Forests National Park—the region’s only national park—has been virtually destroyed.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...

Environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine: Dec 2025 – February 2026 review – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group Alexei Ovchinnikov The UWEC editorial team continues to share highlights of recent media coverage and analysis of the Ukraine war’s environmental consequences with our readers. As always, we welcome r...

4/ 🔗 Read more in our review of the #environmental consequences of the war in #Ukraine for December–February:
uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...

3/ Militarization of the #nuclear power plant has been ongoing for four years. Analysis and satellite data will be presented at the @iaeaorg.bsky.social meeting in #Vienna in order to highlight the threat and the occupiers’ responsibility.

2/ Experts note: interference with the plant’s operations poses a catastrophic risk to #Ukraine and the entire region.

Power outages in 2025–2026 are linked to Russia’s actions, not attacks by Ukrainian forces.

1/ ☢️ #Zaporizhzhia NPP is being turned into a military base

Satellite analysis by #Greenpeace #Ukraine has shown that the occupiers are building bunkers, trenches, hangar fortifications and anti-drone nets, while the cooling pond has been divided by a dam.

🔗 : uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...

3/ The GRIT digital platform enables #mine clearance planning that takes into account environmental, infrastructure, and social impacts, creating a smart and safe process that ensures land restoration without #environmental destruction.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/how-new-tech...

2/ At the Demine Ukraine Forum 2025, new approaches were discussed: #mine clearance methods consider environmental constraints and minimize damage to ecosystems.

How new technology is helping make Ukraine’s demining process greener – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group Yelizaveta Temchenko Russia’s war on Ukraine has resulted in large tracts of land being seriously polluted with explosive objects and damaged by military action. These dangerous areas require clearing...

1/ ⛔️ Mine clearance in #Ukraine is not only about human safety but also the key to the country's recovery. Today, humanitarian #demining is integrated with economic, agricultural, and environmental protection.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/how-new-tech...

4/ Thus, despite reductions in typical emissions from factories and cars, the war is nonetheless producing deadly air.

🔗 Read more on the UWEC website:
uwecworkgroup.info/toxic-legacy...

3/ Fires along the front lines release carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and organic compounds into the atmosphere, causing long-term damage to ecosystems and human health.

2/ Children, the elderly, and people with respiratory diseases are particularly affected.

At the same time, there's a paradox: average pollution levels in cities have decreased by 10–30%. This is the result of the destruction of industrial facilities and mass human displacement.

1/ 🌬️ #War is making air in #Ukraine life-threatening. A new study has shown that following massive missile strikes, the concentration of toxic substances in the air instantly increases by 100–400%, and more locally—by up to 10,000%!

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/toxic-legacy...

3/ At the same time, #LNG investments are increasing #environmental and social risks worldwide—from methane emissions to violations of local residents' rights.

🔗 Learn how this happened and what to do next on the UWEC website:
uwecworkgroup.info/lng-dependen...