Report from Ukraine's State Environmental Inspection
The State Environmental Inspection of Ukraine released its weekly assessment covering August 28 to September 4, 2026, revealing that environmental harm caused by Russian military aggression has increased by over 21.7 billion hryvnias. The largest portion of these damages stems from air pollution, accounting for approximately 15.6 billion hryvnias.
Additionally, losses due to forest fires and damage to other vegetation reached nearly 15.6 billion hryvnias. Damage from fires affecting other structures, waste, and materials totaled 9.7 million hryvnias, while burning of oil, petroleum products, and gas caused nearly 2 million hryvnias in damage. Unregulated emissions of other pollutants or their mixtures contributed an additional 87 thousand hryvnias in losses.
Further Breakdown of Environmental Losses
Soil contamination and land pollution increased by 3.7 billion hryvnias, with land littering responsible for 3.7 billion hryvnias and soil pollution accounting for 1.2 million hryvnias.
- Land littering: 3,687,252,000 UAH
- Soil contamination: 1,202,000 UAH
Moreover, damage to protected natural reserves and territories rose by approximately 2.47 billion hryvnias. Documentation of environmental losses is ongoing.
The reported surge in ecological damage highlights the grave environmental crisis resulting from the ongoing armed conflict.
The deterioration of air quality, widespread forest fires, and increasing land pollution not only devastate ecosystems but also pose serious risks to public health and regional economic stability. This report plays a critical role in chronicling the war’s environmental toll and may serve as a foundation for future international legal actions and ecological restoration efforts once the conflict ends.