Kherson Commission Assesses ₴225B Environmental Damage from Russian Aggression

Recently, the Kherson Regional Military Administration hosted a meeting of the commission to determine the damage caused to the environment as a result of hostilities and Russian armed aggression.

According to the KhOVA, the key issue of the event was to determine the amount of damage caused to the territories and facilities of the Nizhnedniprovsky National Nature Park.

"Inspectors of the State Ecological Inspectorate of the Southern District should calculate the damage caused to the ecosystems of the NNP as a result of the occupiers' crimes," said Dmytro Butriy, First Deputy Head of the Kherson Regional Environmental Protection Agency.

Following the meeting, the commission was instructed to establish the fact of damage to the park and sign the relevant act. In particular, to assess the damage caused by unorganized emissions of pollutants into the air as a result of fires in the park, as well as from the destruction of rare plant species listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Earlier, experts of theNizhnedniprovskyNational Park found that the environmental losses of the nature reserve fund of Kherson region as a result of hostilities have already exceeded UAH 225 billion. According to their data, as of February 1, 2025, the total environmental damage caused to Ukraine by Russian aggression exceeded USD 70 billion. More than 6,500 environmental crimes have already been recorded.

Ecologists also reported that a unique forest of young willow trees, covering more than 65,000 hectares, had formed at the bottom of the former Kakhovka Reservoir. The tallest trees have already reached a height of five meters, demonstrating a record growth rate due to rich black soil and favorable climatic conditions.

On the night of June 6, Russians blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. At least 34 people were killed and 28 others were injured. Almost 40 people are missing. People and pets were evacuated from 3 flooded areas. Int'l correspondent Albina Karman reported on the evacuation of people from the flooded areas.

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