CrimeaSOS: militarization of the occupied Crimea and the full-scale invasion are actively destroying the ecology of the peninsula.  

Despite the fact that there is practically no ground combat in Crimea, the peninsula is actively involved in the full-scale war. CrimeaSOS analyst Yevhenii Yaroshenko stated this during a roundtable discussion on the topic “Environmental Impact of russian Aggression: 2014–2024”, which took place on November 22 as part of the Second International Conference “Crimea Global: Understanding Ukraine through the South.”

Based on the CrimeaSOS environmental study “The Environment of Crimea: Changes and Losses during the Full-Scale War,” Yevhenii Yaroshenko noted: “It is from the Crimean peninsula and adjacent waters that tussian troops launch cruise and ballistic missiles and Shahed drones at cities and villages in mainland Ukraine. In response, Ukrainian troops are launching strikes with missiles, UAVs, and naval drones against the occupiers’ military facilities on the peninsula. Fires caused by hits on military facilities have a negative impact on the ecosystem of Crimea, as well as on the marine environment, since ammunition that enters the water contains explosives, which include heavy metals such as nickel, lead, tin, zinc and others.”  

Yevhenii also raised the issue of water supply for the peninsula. Until 2014, 85% of Crimea’s water needs were met by the North Crimean Canal. This canal, over 400 km long, was the largest and, unfortunately, one of the most inefficient irrigation structures in Europe, as a significant portion of the water was lost during transportation. On February 26, 2022, russian troops blew up the dam, blocking the canal’s water supply, which became another stage in the environmental disaster. The analyst says that after the de-occupation of Crimea, the restoration of the North Crimean Canal would be impractical. Instead, we need to abandon the Soviet practice of turning nature into economic resources and focus on sustainable use of the peninsula’s natural assets.  

During the roundtable, Yevhenii also emphasized that one of the most harmful environmental projects of the occupiers was the construction of the Kerch Bridge and the Tavrida highway, since significant deforestation was carried out for this purpose. He also noted that the constant training of russian troops in protected areas also has an impact on the environment. In addition, during the russian occupation, a significant part of nature conservation sites was destroyed or damaged. 

The discussion was attended by CrimeaSOS analyst Yevhenii Yaroshenko, senior OSINT analyst and head of training programs at the Centre for Information Resilience Tom Jarvis, and expert from the Ecodiya (Ecoaction) NGO Bohdan Kuchenko. The event was moderated by Yuliia Chykolba, director of the Centre for Information Resilience in Ukraine.

We would like to remind you that, in October, CrimeaSOS presented an ecological study “The Environment of Crimea: Changes and Losses during the Full-Scale War.” At the briefing, experts spoke about what was causing the greatest harm to the ecology of Crimea, as well as the prospects for the peninsula’s water supply.