Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / War and military activity · Ukraine · 2022–2026

Ukraine’s official count of war damage to the environment

Nature's voice · report
20% of my protected areas in Ukraine were affected, including 2.9 million ha of the Emerald Network, according to the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture (December 2025).
Did nature suffer? Yes. Harm is on record.
Recorded
What the record lacks: 4 none on record · 1 not disclosed · 2 insufficient · 6 disputed · 1 unclear See the gaps

Ukraine’s State Environmental Inspectorate calculates, and the environment ministry and the Ombudsman publish, a running money total for environmental damage the state attributes to Russia’s armed aggression. The ministry reported UAH 6.01 trillion on 4 December 2025 and more than UAH 7 trillion on 23 June 2026; no payment has been made against the figures.

More than UAH 7 trillion estimateMinistry’s cumulative figure for war damage to the environment, June 2026
Estimate by the State Environmental Inspectorate, as stated by the ministry on 23 June 2026. A claim, not a payment; the calculation method is not disclosed.

Status As of 23 June 2026 the ministry reported confirmed damage of more than UAH 7 trillion; no payment against it is on record.

What?
Ukraine’s State Environmental Inspectorate calculates a running money total for environmental damage the state attributes to Russia’s armed aggression; the ministry reported UAH 6.01 trillion on 4 December 2025 and more than UAH 7 trillion on 23 June 2026. No payment has been made. Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine
Where?
All of Ukraine under government control; the ministry is in Kyiv. Askania-Nova and the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve were under occupation and outside the count. Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine
When?
Since 24 February 2022; totals published between June 2024 and June 2026. ThePublic
Who?
Gained
None on record
Lost
None on record
Harmed
Why?
The state describes the figures as the evidence base for compensation claims against Russia, including the Register of Damage environmental category. Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights
How?
The Inspectorate calculates the totals from cases recorded through EcoZagroza and other channels; the calculation method is not described in the items read. Government portal of Ukraine (kmu.gov.ua)
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

Ukraine’s State Environmental Inspectorate (Derzhekoinspektsiia) calculates a money value for environmental damage that the state attributes to Russia’s armed aggression. The environment ministry publishes the totals and the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights (the Ombudsman) cites them. They are described as the evidence base for compensation claims against Russia, including the environmental category of the Register of Damage (see the related case on the Register). The figures are claims and estimates; no payment has been made against them.

The totals rose over time and appear in several currencies. On 20 June 2024 Minister Ruslan Strilets said more than 5,174 cases valued at more than EUR 57.3 billion had been registered. On 2 October 2024 the Ombudsman gave more than 4,700 “environmental crimes” and about USD 64 billion. The ministry later cited UAH 2.78 trillion for the end of 2024. On 12 July 2025 Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk gave EUR 108 billion and more than 9,000 recorded cases. On 6 November 2025 the Ombudsman gave about UAH 5.975 trillion and “over 10,000” facts documented through the EcoZagroza platform.

On 4 December 2025 the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture reported UAH 6.01 trillion, calculated by the Inspectorate: soil UAH 1.29 trillion, atmospheric air UAH 967 billion, water UAH 117.8 billion and protected areas UAH 3.63 trillion. On 17 March 2026 it reported 10,885 cases worth about UAH 6.4 trillion as of 16 March 2026 (protected areas UAH 3.8 trillion, soil and land UAH 1.34 trillion, air UAH 1.15 trillion, water UAH 120 billion). On 5 June 2026 the Ombudsman gave UAH 6.9 trillion since 2022, of which almost UAH 4 trillion was protected areas and about UAH 2 trillion contaminated soil. On 23 June 2026 the ministry said confirmed damage had exceeded UAH 7 trillion; in the week of 12–19 June 2026 the total rose by UAH 51.919 billion, of which UAH 51.049 billion was air pollution from forest fires and vegetation burning.

The ministry states that the figure covers only territory under Ukrainian government control and that the full extent will be known only after de-occupation and a complete study. None of the ministry or Ombudsman items read describes the calculation method. EcoZagroza, the ministry’s web resource and app for recording environmental threats and damage, receives reports from citizens, which the Inspectorate processes; a government resolution gave it official status in 2023, and from the June 2024 memorandum data from the Svidok.org platform are sent into it.

The state also describes harm in non-money terms: 20% of Ukraine’s protected areas affected, including 2.9 million ha of the Emerald Network; an oil depot fire at Kriachky in Kyiv region with over 41,000 t of toxic emissions; 76% of the Oskil Reservoir’s water volume lost; and, in the Ombudsman’s account, a Kakhovka dam breach that cost Ukraine over 35% of its freshwater reserve and flooded about 80,000 ha of protected areas.

  1. 2023A government resolution gives EcoZagroza official status (reported 1 Aug)
  2. 2024Ministry reports more than 5,174 cases worth more than EUR 57.3 billion; memorandum to send Svidok.org data into EcoZagroza (20 Jun)
  3. 2024Ombudsman reports more than 4,700 “environmental crimes” and about USD 64 billion (2 Oct)
  4. 2025Minister Hrynchuk gives EUR 108 billion and more than 9,000 cases (12 Jul)
  5. 2025Ombudsman gives about UAH 5.975 trillion and over 10,000 facts (6 Nov)
  6. 2025Ministry reports UAH 6.01 trillion (4 Dec)
  7. 2026Ministry reports 10,885 cases and about UAH 6.4 trillion as of 16 March (17 Mar)
  8. 2026Ombudsman gives UAH 6.9 trillion (5 Jun)
  9. 2026Ministry says confirmed damage exceeds UAH 7 trillion (23 Jun)

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“Russian aggression has already caused more than UAH 6 trillion of environmental destruction in Ukraine”

“The environmental damage caused by Russia is measured not only in trillions of hryvnias”

“Consequences of Russia’s armed aggression: 10,885 cases of environmental damage worth UAH 6.4 trillion recorded in Ukraine”

Where accounts differ

Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.

Which figure the Ombudsman gave on 5 June 2026
Press and investigations
Ukrinform

UAH 6.9 trillion since 2022, of which almost UAH 4 trillion was destroyed and damaged protected areas and about UAH 2 trillion contaminated soil; no method given.

Ukrinform
Press and investigations
Euromaidan Press

About USD 156 billion, with nearly USD 90 billion for protected areas and approximately USD 45 billion for soils.

Euromaidan Press
How many recorded cases are under Article 441 (ecocide)
Government and regulators
Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine (17 March 2026)

Most of the 10,885 recorded cases are investigated in pre-trial proceedings under Article 441 or added to existing cases.

Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine
Communities and civil society
Environment-People-Law (EPL), May 2026

Regional prosecutors reported single-digit Article 441 registrations per region and, in most regions, no suspicion notices or indictments under that article.

Environment-People-Law (EPL)
Responsibility for, and the amount of, the environmental damage
Government and regulators
Ukrainian government

The damage was caused by Russian aggression and totals more than UAH 7 trillion (June 2026).

ThePublic
Government and regulators
Government of Russia

No response to the damage totals on record.

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

  • The ministry presented UAH 6.01 trillion as the environmental destruction caused by Russian aggression, split into soil, air, water and protected areas.
    Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine (4 December 2025) · Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine
  • The ministry presented 10,885 recorded cases worth about UAH 6.4 trillion and said most were being investigated under Article 441 (ecocide) or added to existing cases.
    Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine (17 March 2026) · Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine
  • The Ombudsman presented UAH 6.9 trillion on World Environment Day, with almost UAH 4 trillion for protected areas and about UAH 2 trillion for contaminated soil.
    Ombudsman of Ukraine, as reported by Ukrinform (5 June 2026) · Ukrinform

Recorded

  • Ministry totals by date: EUR 57.3 billion (20 June 2024); UAH 2.78 trillion (end of 2024, cited in December 2025); EUR 108 billion (12 July 2025, Minister Hrynchuk); UAH 6.01 trillion (4 December 2025); about UAH 6.4 trillion and 10,885 cases (16 March 2026); more than UAH 7 trillion (23 June 2026). Ombudsman totals: about USD 64 billion (2 October 2024); about UAH 5.975 trillion (6 November 2025); UAH 6.9 trillion (5 June 2026).
    Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine
  • The ministry’s 4 December 2025 breakdown: soil UAH 1.29 trillion, atmospheric air UAH 967 billion, water (pollution and littering) UAH 117.8 billion, protected areas (nature reserve fund) UAH 3.63 trillion. Its 17 March 2026 breakdown: protected areas UAH 3.8 trillion, soil and land contamination from missile and bomb strikes UAH 1.34 trillion, air pollution from combustion products UAH 1.15 trillion, water pollution and unauthorised water use UAH 120 billion.
    Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine
  • In the week of 12–19 June 2026 the ministry’s total rose by UAH 51.919 billion: UAH 51.049 billion air pollution from forest fires and vegetation burning, UAH 219.6 million burning of oil, petroleum products and gas, UAH 643.4 million soil (mostly littering), UAH 150,000 water.
    ThePublic
  • The ministry states that the figure covers only territory under Ukrainian government control and that the full extent will be known only after de-occupation and a complete study.
    Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine
  • The Ombudsman’s 5 June 2026 statement cited oil-product spills of up to 800 km² in the Black Sea after strikes on ports and a lubricant leak after an attack on the Dniester HPP that put drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people in Ukraine and Moldova at risk; these are not included in the UAH 6.9 trillion total.
    Ukrinform
  • On 2 October 2024 the Ombudsman gave a potentially mined area of about 142,000 km²; in July 2025 Minister Hrynchuk said about 23% of Ukraine’s territory was still mined.
    Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights
  • The ministry said on 17 March 2026 that most recorded cases were being investigated in pre-trial proceedings under Article 441 (ecocide) or added to existing cases.
    Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine
  • The Kyiv Post (Ukrainian edition) headline of June 2026 names the State Environmental Inspectorate as the source of the figure above UAH 7 trillion.
    Kyiv Post (Ukrainian edition)
  • UWEC Work Group, an NGO, wrote that the fifth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA5) aggregates environmental damage into broad categories and runs to about 63 pages instead of nearly 200.
    UWEC Work Group
  • Since the 20 June 2024 memorandum, data from Svidok.org (operated by AI for Good, CEO James Hodson) are sent to EcoZagroza and processed by the Inspectorate.
    Government portal of Ukraine (kmu.gov.ua)

Who gained

Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.

Reached nature or the ground

—
Soil (ministry, 4 December 2025)1290bn
Window: 2022–2025
State-calculated damage claim; not paid.
Atmospheric air (ministry, 4 December 2025)967bn
Window: 2022–2025
Water: pollution and littering (ministry, 4 December 2025)117.8bn
Window: 2022–2025
Protected areas, nature reserve fund (ministry, 4 December 2025)3630bn
Window: 2022–2025

Gained elsewhere

Not totalled
Currency: UAH · Window: Mixed — see each line. Figures cover different periods and are not compared as a ratio. * Estimate built from cited figures.

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

Insurers

No insurer decision on record.

What nature saw

Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

Ministry total, 4 December 2025
UAH 6.01 trillion
Calculated by the State Environmental Inspectorate; not paid
Cases recorded, 16 March 2026
10,885
Worth about UAH 6.4 trillion
Protected areas affected
20%
Including 2.9 million ha of the Emerald Network (ministry)
Ministry total, 23 June 2026
More than UAH 7 trillion
Government-controlled territory only

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Key earnings undisclosedNo court case

Court

Accounts

  • Disputed Which figure the Ombudsman gave on 5 June 2026
  • Disputed How many recorded cases are under Article 441 (ecocide)
  • Disputed Responsibility for, and the amount of, the environmental damage
  • None on record Government of Russia: No response to the damage totals on record.

Record

  • Not disclosed Not disclosed: the method used to calculate the totals. None of the ministry or Ombudsman items describes it; a June 2026 report says only that recording is ongoing.
  • Unclear Unclear: why the ministry’s total rose from UAH 2.78 trillion at the end of 2024 to UAH 6.01 trillion on 4 December 2025. The ministry page gives no reason such as a change of method or new categories.
  • Disputed Figures differ: for the Ombudsman’s statement of 5 June 2026, Ukrinform gives UAH 6.9 trillion in hryvnias only; Euromaidan Press gives about USD 156 billion, with nearly USD 90 billion for protected areas and approximately USD 45 billion for soils. The USD figures do not appear in the Ukrinform text.
  • Disputed Figures differ: the totals are stated in euros, US dollars and hryvnias, with different scopes and dates; no reconciliation has been published.
  • Disputed Figures differ: for loss of hydro-technical infrastructure, Fakty reports at least USD 746 billion with restoration of nearly USD 11 billion; another outlet reports USD 746 million.
  • Insufficient Insufficient: the totals cover only territory under Ukrainian government control.
  • Insufficient Insufficient: the fifth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA5) is about 63 pages instead of nearly 200 and aggregates environmental damage into broad categories, according to UWEC Work Group, an NGO, which attributes this at least in part to limited data access, closed registries and the suspension of environmental inspections.
  • None on record None on record: independent verification of the totals.
  • None on record None on record: a response from the Russian government to the damage totals.

Did the harm stop?

Recording continues: the ministry reported the total rising by UAH 51.919 billion in the week of 12–19 June 2026, mostly air pollution from forest fires and vegetation burning.

Who paid?

No payment has been made against the figures; they are claims and estimates calculated by the Ukrainian state.

Sources

Voices on record: — Company or project✓ Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers

Government and regulators

  4. Russia committed over 4,700 environmental crimes in Ukraine worth $64 billion
    Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights · 2024-10-02
  5. International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War
    Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights · 2025-11-06

Press and investigations

  6. Environmental resource EcoZagroza got an official status
    Asters (law firm legal alert) · 2023-08-01

Communities and civil society

Connected cases

Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
Terms used on this page

Science and environment

Hectare (ha)
A unit of area equal to 10,000 square metres, about 2.5 acres. 100 hectares make one square kilometre.