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Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group

Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group

Seeking solutions through information sharing about the environmental impacts of the war. UWEC Work Group.

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Issue #31

Dear Friends!

On September 19, the European Union approved a new package of sanctions against Russia. In particular, this package envisages a complete ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas into the EU starting in January 2027 (previously, the ban was planned to be introduced the following year), as well as more severe sanctions against intermediary companies, Russia’s “shadow fleet”, and Russian companies Rosneft and Gazprom Neft. Earlier, on September 9, the European Parliament noted Ukraine’s progress towards European integration, while also calling on the country not to lower its ambitions. For example, it encouraged the Ukrainian government to pay attention to compliance with European environmental and nature conservation standards. European MEPs called for all possible support for initiatives and organizations involved in analyzing the environmental consequences of the war. In August 2025, the Ukrainian government presented a 2025-2026 action plan, aimed at further progress toward European integration. Ukrainian environmental organizations have critically assessed it and noted areas for improvement. Read more about these events and decisions, as well as how Kamianska Sich National Park is experiencing Russia’s full-scale invasion, in our regular review:
 

  • Environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine. August-September 2025

Sanctions against Russia will be effective when Ukraine itself reduces its dependence on fossil fuels. However, this is not an easy decision for a country that has relied on the wealth of its coal industry for many years. The abandonment of fossil fuel production should not be accompanied by the destruction and stagnation of coal-mining regions and single-industry towns. To this end, just transition programs are needed. Read about just transition strategies being implemented in Ukraine, despite the ongoing full-scale Russian invasion, in Inga Pavliy’s article, part of our series examining Ukraine’s coal industry:

  • Just transition for coal-mining communities: What is it and how does it work in wartime Ukraine?

We are also launching a series about how environmental activists and organizations in Eastern Europe are surviving amid war, repression, funding cuts, and political pressure. The first article focuses on the situation in Belarus. In 2021, following the protests in 2020, most environmental organizations in the country were forced to shut down. Some activists, experts, and journalists were arrested, while others were forced to leave Belarus to continue their work, and still others went into hiding, refusing to engage in any visible activity. Almost five years have passed, and the situation in the country has not improved. There are still over 1,200 recognized political prisoners, among them environmental activists. Read about how Belarusian environmental organizations are coping with repression, the war in Ukraine, and their own challenges in the first article in this series:

  • Environmental and climate activism in Belarus, Ukraine, and Georgia during Russia’s full-scale invasion. Part One

Another serious problem this year for Ukraine was a locust invasion. Recalling biblical legends, it was even labeled an “Egyptian” invasion. However, as expert Stanislav Vitter notes, we are not talking about Egyptian locusts, but migratory locusts (Locusta migratoria). Apart from climate change, one factor contributing to their abnormal spread is Russia’s full-scale invasion. The destruction and draining of the Kakhovka Reservoir created favorable conditions for a spike in their population. The lack of monitoring and preventive measures, as well as any management whatsoever in the occupied territories, allowed the locusts to actively reproduce and spread throughout Ukraine. If controls are not implemented in the near future, next year could also be disastrous. Read more in Viter’s article:

  • Invaders from the steppes: Locusts and the war in Ukraine

Our experts continue to analyze the consequences of Russia’s demarché and its withdrawal from the Ramsar Convention. A general trend in today’s authoritarian governments abandoning international environmental agreements could have serious consequences. And although the Russian government recently ordered increased domestic protections for wetlands, this does not mean that the situation has stabilized. Fifteen wetlands in occupied territories in Ukraine should continue to be protected under the Ramsar Convention, but their situation remains problematic. Eugene Simonov and Angelina Davydova examine the problem:

  • The Ramsar split—was it inevitable, and what should be done next?

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We wish you strength, peace, and good news!

Alexej Ovchinnikov, Editor in Chief, UWEC Work Group

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