The Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), has published the results of a comprehensive assessment of the impact of hostilities on the soil in four northern regions – Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Zhytomyr.

The research was conducted by the NGO Ukrainian Researchers Society at the request of the Ministry of Economy. It documented not only the number of craters caused by shells, mines, and other explosive ordnance (EO), but also the volume of soil displaced by explosions and the areas affected by bomb blast damage. This data will form the basis for future land remediation (restoration).

The researchers analysed high-resolution satellite imagery covering four regions in April 2022, and then worked in the fields, collecting samples of damaged soil and measuring acidity and compaction levels.

Kyiv region suffered the most damage:

• 28,156 craters from shells, mines, and other explosive devices (diameter – from 60 cm to 17.8 m)
• The highest number of craters is in the districts of Hostomel, Irpin, Bucha, Borodianka, Makariv, and Velyka Dymerka
• Over 62 hectares of land were affected by bomb turbulence (soil displacement caused by explosions)
• The total volume of displaced soil exceeds 20,000 cubic metres

Chernihiv region (most craters are concentrated near Chernihiv, which was under siege for over a month):

• Over 18,000 craters
• 47.8 hectares of bomb-turbulated soil
• Almost 30,000 cubic metres of soil churned up by explosions – the largest volume among the northern regions researched

Zhytomyr and Sumy regions (in Sumy region, areas near the regional centre and towards Okhtyrka were researched):

• 2,630 craters
• Over 4,000 cubic metres of soil churned up by explosions

‘This is a very important research project into how the soil has been affected by the explosions. The data collected will help us draw up a map of contamination, which is the first step towards soil remediation. Indeed, it is not enough for a farmer simply to fill in the crater and start working. Something needs to grow on this land,’ said Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine.

The completed assessment of the northern regions is part of a larger-scale effort. As Pavlo Ostapenko, head of the NGO Ukrainian Researchers Society, explained in an exclusive interview with the Decentralisation portal, the organisation has already investigated and assessed seven regions of Ukraine, including Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Kherson. More than 800,000 agricultural land plots have been identified in total, and the damage amounts to UAH 123 billion.

‘Every de-occupied community can and should claim compensation for contaminated or lost land and natural resources. Such an assessment must form a key component of every community’s development strategy, its recovery plan and its spatial development plan. The cost of all these losses must be calculated and included in the reparations package to be paid by russia.’

The researcher also explains that explosions leave not only craters in the soil, but also heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, nickel), as well as mineral nitrogen, phosphorus and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These end up in groundwater, migrate into rivers, and ultimately into the food chain.

‘If we do not take this seriously, our entire nation may face deteriorating health in the future,’ warns Pavlo Ostapenko.

The team of researchers is currently continuing its work in the de-occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Data on craters and contamination is already being passed on to the State Emergency Service for demining planning and to the Register of Potentially Contaminated Areas.

Communities can obtain detailed damage maps free of charge to plan restoration and prepare compensation claims. To do so, please send a request to the email address: info@tdukr.com.