CrimeaSOS: mining the “Crimean Titan” violates the laws and customs of warfare

The demining of the “Crimean Titan” plant in the occupied Crimea once again proves that russia systematically violates the laws and customs of war. russia’s provocations on the territory of the company may cause serious environmental consequences for Ukraine.

According to CrimeaSOS analyst Yevhenii Yaroshenko, mining the company’s territory is a violation of the laws and customs of war related to environmental protection. In particular, he refers to Art. 35 and Art. 55 of the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD Convention) and customary international humanitarian law (rules 43-45).

“There are 2 wetlands of international importance and 12 objects of the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine in the zone of possible influence of PJSC “Crimean Titan”. The list of such objects includes the Crimean Nature Reserve, the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve, the Azov-Syvaskyi National Park, the Oleshkivsky Sands, the Dzharilhatskyi, and the Nizhnyodniprovskyi National Parks — is stated in the second part of the CrimeaSOS study “Environment of Crimea: changes and losses during the occupation”.

After the occupation of Crimea, in 2018, the “Crimean Titan” has become the cause of an ecological threat to the inhabitants of the peninsula and the Kherson region. On the night of August 24 of that year, hazardous substances were released into the air. According to preliminary research data, the cause of pollution was the evaporation of the contents of the acid accumulator that “Crimean Titan” used. Due to the emission, many residents of Armiansk suffered damage to the respiratory tract.

The Ukrainian Chemical Products company (formerly “Crimean Titan”) is located in the city of Armiansk in the temporarily occupied Crimea. The plant produces titanium dioxide, which is used in the cellulose industry, production of synthetic fibres, rubber products, plastic, heat-resistant and optical glass, white enamel, ceramic dielectrics. The company also produces mineral fertilizers, sulfuric acid, aluminium, sulphates, liquid sodium glass, etc.

On June 6, 2023, the russians committed another war crime – they blew up the Kakhovka HPP dam. As a result, dozens of settlements in the occupied and controlled territories of Ukraine were flooded. According to Oleksii Tilnenko, head of the CrimeaSOS Board, russia was  trying to hide its crimes in the south of Ukraine in this way.