War in Ukraine causes €90 billion environmental disaster
War destroys many forests and other natural landscapes (photo: Getty Images)
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine estimates the total ecological damage from Russian aggression to be around 90 billion euros. The relevant minister, Svitlana Hrynchuk, reported this during the conference "Just Transition of Coal Regions."
"The amount of damage is estimated at around 90 billion euros," the minister said.
Svitlana Hrynchuk stated that restoring the environment and infrastructure will take years or even decades.
"To restore these natural resources and repair the damage caused to the environment and critical infrastructure will take years and decades. Unfortunately, some natural sites will not be able to be restored to the state they were in," the minister added.
Previous estimates of environmental damage
As a reminder, by the end of 2024, the Ministry had assessed the environmental damage from the war at around 70 billion dollars. At that time, Svitlana Hrynchuk reported that 3 million hectares of forests were destroyed, and 6,500 ecological crimes by occupying forces were recorded due to the war.
According to the minister, Ukraine is firmly committed to holding the aggressor country accountable for environmental crimes.
At the end of January 2025, the Ministry of Ecology announced a new damage estimate of 72.9 billion euros. The agency is developing legislation for post-war recovery, including restoration of the natural environment.
