Shelling of Ukraine: Air in European cities may contain traces of Russian missile explosions
Photo: Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Svitlana Hrynchuk (mev.gov.ua)
In some European countries, combustion products released into the air as a result of Russian missile strikes on Ukraine have been detected, according to a statement from Ukraine's Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Svitlana Hrynchuk, during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku.
Hrynchuk stated that even in a peaceful European city, the air could contain traces of a Russian missile explosion.
According to her, combustion products released into the air as a result of Russian missile strikes have already reached Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Serbia, Croatia, and Poland.
The minister also added that due to hostilities and forest fires over nearly three years of full-scale war, Ukraine's forests' ability to absorb greenhouse gases has decreased by 1.7 million tons. In total, 3 million hectares of forests have already been destroyed by the war.
Additionally, Hrynchuk stated that the area of Ukraine contaminated with explosive objects totals 139,000 square kilometers – twice the size of Azerbaijan.
Massive attack on Ukraine
On November 17, Russia launched its first large-scale attack on Ukraine in the last three months. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the Russian army fired 120 missiles and 90 drones.
In particular, in Kyiv, the debris from shot-down drones fell in four districts, injuring two people. The cities of Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Mykolaiv, Kremenchuk, and Odesa were also attacked. Among the victims were railway and energy workers.
Main strike targeted power generation and transmission facilities across the country.
For more details on the consequences of the massive attack on Ukraine on November 17, read the full report by RBC-Ukraine.
