Earlier this week, fires broke out in the forest surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine. Satellite imagery taken by the European Space Agency showed at least seven fires burning within the plant’s exclusion zone and Ukrainian officials warned that it would be difficult to put them out because the area is controlled by Russian troops.
Environmental damage has proved more immediately visible during the war in Ukraine than in other conflicts, with growing awareness of its importance supported by improved monitoring and the ability of social media to relay news much faster. But that has served only to draw attention to the weakness of the legal framework that should prevent it.
In Ukraine, the risks are heightened because the country is densely populated and heavily industrialised. The Environmental Peacebuilding Association says attacks on civilian and military sites have already caused major fires in fuel-storage areas, while fighting in Kharkiv has ruptured a gas pipeline. It also claimsthat widespread Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, including the targeting of water infrastructure, “are clear violations of international law”.
