Ukrainians launched an international campaign demanding punishment to Russia for ecocide

During the war, the Russian army intentionally destroys not only the civilian population, but also animals and the environment in general. In view of this, the public organization UAnimals has launched an international information campaign with a call to punish Russia for environmental crimes committed during the war.

At the first stage of the campaign, we turn to Ukrainians and all concerned to sign an international petition to the UN and the European Parliament: https://www.change.org/p/stop-ecocide-in-ukraine-punish-russia-for-the-crimes-against-environment

"We call on the European Parliament, the United Nations, the parliaments of partner states, international organizations and institutions to condemn Russia's actions, to help stop environmental crimes, to introduce additional sanctions against the Russian Federation, to help restore the ecological security of Ukraine and its environment, and to help in the restoration of the Ukrainian ecosystem during the war and in the post-war period, including by using the instrument of reparations," UAnimals said in a statement.

We would like to remind that during the eight months of the war, as evidenced by the data of the State Environmental Inspection of Ukraine, the aggressive actions of the armed forces of the Russian Federation resulted in the following:

• 182 880 square meters  of soil are contaminated with harmful substances;
• 2 365 129 square meters of land are covered with the remains of destroyed items and ammunition;
• 680 618 tons of petroleum products were burned during the shelling, which resulted in significant air pollution;
• 23 286 hectares of forest were burned by rockets or shells. It will take at least 10 years to restore part of the forest areas.
• 7 155 689 square meters of objects were destroyed, including critical infrastructure, which also caused significant damage to Ukraine's environment.

Currently, 20% of nature protected areas of Ukraine are affected in the result military operations. The Russians occupied 8 nature reserves and 12 national natural parks. About 80% of the territory of the "Holy Mountains" National Park was destroyed. A humanitarian crisis is observed in the occupied "Ascanija Nova". According to Ukrainian ecologists,  hundreds of thousands or even millions of wild animals were destructed. At the same time, more than 6 million domestic animals died due to the invasion of Russia. 

In April, Ukrainian scientists discovered more than 1,000 km2  of oil layer and oil products on the surface of the Black Sea, which appeared as a result of the activities of Russian aircrafts and warships. Such environmental crimes,  constant operation of the sonar of underwater and surface Russian ships, the movement of ships of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, especially those that use sonar, have led to a significant reduction in the population of marine mammals. At least 50 000 Black Sea dolphins have died, not only near the Ukrainian shores of Odessa, but also near the coasts of Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey.

The capture of the Zaporizhzhia NPP by Russian military forces, the accumulation of heavy weapons there, shelling from the buildings of a critical facility, as well as hidden repair works, in which Ukrainian employees – nuclear scientists and representatives of the IAEA are not involved, creates a potential radioactive threat not only to Ukraine, but also to the whole of Europe. According to Ukrainian ecologists, in the event of an explosion, the area of the potential exclusion zone will be up to 30 000 km2. 

The petition can be signed at the following link