Editor: Michael Ross
Website: Monsantoinvestigation.com
Published: April 7th, 2022
Update
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Content:
Section 1: War Crimes
Section 2: War in Ukraine
Section 3: Crimea
Section 4: Communism
Section 5: History
Section 6: Chernobyl
Section 7: Uranium, Pesticides & Landfills
Section 8: Water Pollution
Section 9: Deforestation
Section 10: Air Pollution
Section 11: Landfills
Section 12: Farms
Section 13: Pyramid Technology
Section 14: Extra
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Pollution Science 101 – Ukraine – Part 1
Pollution Science 101 – Ukraine – Part 2
Pollution Science 101 – Ukraine – Part 3
Pollution Science 101 – Ukraine – Part 4
Pollution Science 101- Ukraine – Part 5
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The following documents will detail evidence of current war crimes, atrocities and genocide taking place during the 2022 Ukraine War.
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Section 1: War Crimes
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Pollution Science 101 – Russia
2015
Pollutionscience101Russia.blogspot.com
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EXPLAINER-How could Russia’s Putin be prosecuted for war crimes in Ukraine?
2022
https://www.userwalls.com/n/explainer-russia-putin-prosecuted-war-crimes-ukraine-2986332/
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War in Ukraine: Gordon Brown backs Nuremberg-style trial for Putin
19 March 2022
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60803155
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US Senate approves resolution probing Putin for war crimes
March 15, 2022
https://www.news4jax.com/news/politics/2022/03/16/us-senate-approves-resolution-probing-putin-for-war-crimes/
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Canada to petition ICC to probe alleged Russian war crimes, says Joly
Mar 01, 2022
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/icc-joly-russia-war-crimes-1.6368272?cmp=rss
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Putin will be held responsible for war crimes at ICC, says Sajid Javid
14 Mar 2022
Health secretary says UK will help court gather evidence, as Dominic Raab travels to The Hague
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/14/vladimir-putin-war-crimes-icc-sajid-javid-hague
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INSIGHT-ICC faces “myriad challenges” to prosecute war crimes in Ukraine
Mar 4, 2022
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/insight-icc-faces-myriad-challenges-to-prosecute-war-crimes-in-ukraine
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NUCLEAR FEAR: Britain’s allies preparing for Chernobyl-style nuclear disaster as Putin’s invasion of Ukraine continues
Mar 30 2022
https://www.the-sun.com/news/5014939/ukraine-war-chernobyl-disaster-putin/?rec_article=true
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Could Ukraine’s nuclear industry face another Chernobyl?
26 Apr 2021
Thirty-five years after the disaster, the nuclear industry is Ukraine’s most reliable economic lifeline. But critics say it faces a perennial crisis caused by corruption, safety problems and politicised decision-making.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/4/26/does-ukraines-nuclear-industry-face-another-chernobyl
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Environmental consequences of the Russian-Ukraine Conflict
February 27, 2022
A significant risk of an environmental disaster compounding the humanitarian crisis
A long-simmering confrontation between Ukraine and Russia has devolved into a full-fledged invasion wreaking havoc on the environment. For more than a month, fears of war have been raised about a prospective Russian incursion into Ukraine.
https://www.waytozerowaste.com/post/environmental-consequences-of-the-russian-ukraine-conflict
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Ukraine moves giant new safety dome over Chernobyl
November 29, 2016
https://phys.org/news/2016-11-ukraine-giant-safety-dome-chernobyl.html
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Chornobyl NPP. Arch does not cover all problems
02.12.2016
Destroyed 4th unit of the Chornobyl NPP after the 1986 accident.
Part of the roof collapsed in the fourth block of the Chornobyl NPP, October 13, 1991.
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Russian invasion of Ukraine is kicking up dust around Chernoble, raising radiation levels
February 25th, 2022
https://redgreenandblue.org/2022/02/25/russian-invasion-ukraine-kicking-dust-around-chernoble-raising-radiation-levels/
The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine said that local experts attribute the increased gamma radiation dose rate to the “disturbance of the top layer of soil from [the] movement of a large number of radio heavy military machinery through the Exclusion zone and increase of air pollution.”
“The condition of Chernobyl nuclear facilities and other facilities is unchanged,” according to Ukrainian officials.
Russian officials, meanwhile, continue to insist that radiation levels are normal, the Washington Post reported Friday.
“Radiation levels are normal in the NPP [nuclear power plant] area,” said Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov. “The NPP personnel continue to operate the power plant as usual and to monitor radiation levels.”
The 1986 meltdown of a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl left the 1,000-square mile region surrounding the decommissioned power plant one of the most radioactive places on the planet, with large amounts of nuclear waste stored underground and on site.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Anton Herashchenk warned Thursday that “if the invader’s artillery hits and ruins/damages the collectors of nuclear waste, radioactive nuclear dust can be spread over the territory of Ukraine, Belarus, and the [countries] of the E.U.”
According to Dmytro Gumenyuk, a nuclear safety expert based in Kyiv, Russian or Ukrainian forces could accidentally hit sensitive facilities, causing radiation to “contaminate air, soil, and waterways, affecting not only Ukraine but also Russia and much of Europe.”
On Thursday morning, the Ukraine Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted that “if Russia continues the war, Chernobyl can happen again in 2022.”
Prior to the military attack ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, nuclear energy specialists joined members of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War—a coalition of medical groups that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985 for its non-proliferation work—to sound the alarm about a potential nuclear “catastrophe” in Ukraine that could have horrific consequences for all of Europe—and potentially the entire planet.
Other nuclear experts, such as Bennett Ramberg, have also demanded deescalation to avert a deadly calamity.
“Of all the obvious dangers that come with war, one of the most far-reaching in the current Russia-Ukraine conflict has been woefully underappreciated. Even if commanders took pains to avoid striking Ukraine’s 15 nuclear power reactors, that might not be enough to avoid a catastrophe,” Ramberg wrote in an op-ed for Project Syndicate last week.
“The reactors present a daunting specter. If struck, the installations could effectively become radiological mines. And Russia itself would be a victim of the ensuing wind-borne radioactive debris,” he observed. “Were a reactor core to melt, explosive gases or belching radioactive debris would exit the containment structure.”
“Once in the atmosphere, the effluents would settle over thousands of miles, dumping light to very toxic radioactive elements on urban and rural landscapes,” added Ramberg. “And spent nuclear fuel could cause further devastation if storage pools were set afire.”
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Latest on war in Ukraine: US Embassy calls power plant attack war crime
Mar 4, 2022
(AP) — The latest developments on the Russia-Ukraine war:
US Embassy calls power plant attack war crime
KYIV, Ukraine — The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine is calling Russia’s attack on a nuclear plant a war crime.
“It is a war crime to attack a nuclear power plant,” the embassy statement said. “Putin’s shelling of Europe’s largest nuclear plant takes his reign of terror one step further.”
Russian troops seized the plant Friday in an attack that set it on fire and briefly raised fears of a nuclear disaster. The blaze was extinguished and no radiation was released.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia’s action “nuclear terrorism” and appealed to the U.N. Security Council for action to safeguard Ukraine’s endangered nuclear facilities.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal appealed to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the EU to send representatives to all five of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. “This is a question of the security of the whole world,” he said in a nighttime video address.
https://www.wishtv.com/news/international/latest-on-war-in-ukraine-official-notes-840-children-wounded-so-far/
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Putin shamed as Russia ‘uses banned white phosphorus bombs’ in attack on Ukraine city
Mar 14, 2022
RUSSIA is using banned “white phosphorus” bombs on Ukraine according to an official from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1580240/russia-ukraine-banned-white-phosphorus-bombs-invasion-war-chemical-weapons?fr=operanews
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DNA Explainer: How dangerous is phosphorous bomb that Russia allegedly used
Mar 14, 2022
The bombing of a civilian city with phosphorus bombs is a war crime and a crime against humanity, according to the Rome Convention.
https://www.dnaindia.com/explainer/report-dna-explainer-how-dangerous-is-phosphorous-bomb-that-russia-allegedly-used-ukraine-war-nazis-flaming-onion-2939755
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An expert warns about reports of Russia using white phosphorus weapons in Ukraine: ‘This is part of the horror of war’
March 27, 2022
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/expert-warns-reports-russia-using-033351767.html
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‘White Phosphorus’ Claimed To Be Used In Ukraine May Really Be Russian Napalm Weapon
Mar 25, 2022
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2022/03/25/white-phosphorus-may-really-be-soviet-napalm-weapon/?sh=2ddbd9d4e6ae
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Russians claim Ukraine town hit with banned white phosphorus fire starter bombs
13 June 2014
Russia accuses Kiev military of using banned incendiary bombs
City of Slavyansk bombed night between Wednesday and Thursday
Witnesses claim white phosphorous bombs were dropped on city
Slavyansk has been at the centre of government’s anti-terror work
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2657220/Russians-claim-Ukraine-town-hit-banned-white-phosphorus-fire-starter-bombs.html
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Ammonia leak reported at chemicals plant in Ukraine’s besieged Sumy
March 20, 2022
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ammonia-leak-reported-chemicals-plant-ukraines-besieged-sumy-2022-03-21/
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Live updates: Ammonia leak contaminates area in east Ukraine
March 22, 2022
https://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/celebrities/article259589094.html
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ATOMIC THREAT: Russia accused of ‘nuclear terrorism’ after bombing reactor site during fresh attacks on city of Kharkiv
Mar 10 2022
https://www.the-sun.com/news/4870129/russia-accused-nuclear-terrorism-bombing-reactor-site-kharkiv/
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Russia aims rockets at second nuclear plant in Ukraine after capturing Chernobyl
26 Feb 2022
Ukraine’s interior ministry has said the invading troops are approaching Zaporizhzhia, which has a nuclear plant.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/russia-aims-rockets-second-nuclear-26339222
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Watch: Russian army attacks Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine
Mar 04, 2022
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/international/watch-russian-army-attacks-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-plant-in-ukraine/videoshow/89990838.cms
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Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant: everything you need to know
4 Mar 2022
Russian forces in Ukraine have been shelling the Zaporizhzhia power plant, the largest nuclear plant of its kind in Europe
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/04/zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-plant-everything-you-need-to-know
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Fighting continues around Zaporizhzhia | Ukraine: The Latest | Podcast
Sep 2, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6nP6O0XmAU
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Russian forces targets residential areas in Zaporizhzhia overnight
Oct 9, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht4jgCxivKw
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Fire at Zaporizhzhia NPP may cause uncontrolled transfer of radiation pollution – Strilets
04.03.2022
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3419635-fire-at-zaporizhzhia-npp-may-cause-uncontrolled-transfer-of-radiation-pollution-strilets.html
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Ukrainian minister says Zaporizhzhia power outage nearly caused nuclear disaster
Aug 27, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-qluutYyaY
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Video analysis reveals Russian attack on Ukrainian nuclear plant veered near disaster
March 11, 2022
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/11/1085427380/ukraine-nuclear-power-plant-zaporizhzhia
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World ‘narrowly averted a nuclear catastrophe’, says US envoy to UN after Russia attack on Ukraine atomic plant – as it happened
5 Mar 2022
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/mar/04/ukraine-news-russia-war-vladimir-putin-zelenskiy-kyiv-latest-live-updates-russian-invasion-nuclear-power-plant?page=with:block-6221e59b8f08c1dd5f65aeb5
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Dashcam shows flurry of rockets in Chernihiv, Ukraine, that killed at least 33
March 3, 2022
https://nypost.com/2022/03/03/at-least-28-killed-after-rockets-hit-chernihiv-ukraine/
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Russian strike on Chernihiv leaves 47 dead
Mar 4, 2022
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/russian-strike-on-chernihiv-leaves-47-dead/articleshow/89999348.cms
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Ukraine: Fire rages at Chernihiv oil depot after reported Russian shelling
March 2022
https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/ukraine-russia-invasion-shelling-chernihiv-b2028250.html
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Siege of Chernihiv
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Chernihiv
The Siege of Chernihiv, is an ongoing siege at the city of Chernihiv, Ukraine. It began on 24 February 2022, as part of the Northeastern Ukraine offensive during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Ukraine Demands World Take Heed Of Attack On Nuclear Plant As Russia Continues Assault
March 4, 2022
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-invasion-nuclear-plant-zaporizhzhya/31735540.html
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Old Soviet uranium factory in Ukraine in danger of Russian attacks, staff say
March 14, 2022
As Russian rockets hit the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, staff at a former weapons uranium production facility nearby have warned that attacks on their site would lead to massive radiation releases that would contaminate an area populated by more than a million people.
https://bellona.org/news/nuclear-issues/2022-03-old-soviet-uranium-factory-in-ukraine-in-danger-of-russian-attacks-staff-say
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Ukraine’s nuclear nightmare is only part of the war’s environmental horrors
March 4, 2022
Ukraine has nuclear plants, hydro dams and industrial sites that could unleash environmental calamity if they’re damaged.
https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-war-russia-nuclear-power-plant-map-zaporizhzhia-nightmare-environment/
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Toxic maneuvers: why Kiev decided to conduct exercises near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
2/3/2022
On February 4, tactical-special exercises of units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine begin in the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant “in connection with the enhanced protection of external and internal borders.” This was reported by the press service of the State Agency for the Management of the Exclusion Zone. It is noted that during the exercises, the coherence of the units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be worked out in the performance of tasks for the defense of a settlement, the tactics of conducting military operations in an urbanized area and the elimination of their consequences. The training will be attended by foreign ambassadors and representatives of Ukraine’s partner states. According to experts, the exercises near the nuclear power plant are Kiev’s move aimed at intensifying the hysteria around the “Russian invasion”…
https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2022-02-04-toxic-maneuvers–why-kiev-decided-to-conduct-exercises-near-the-chernobyl-nuclear-power-plant.Hy-A6v790K.html
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Crowd blocks Russians from nuclear power plant
Mar 2, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qITKxlnLUG8
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Russian soldiers ‘torturing staff’ inside Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
March 9, 2022
https://news.yahoo.com/russian-soldiers-torturing-nuclear-power-workers-at-zaporizhzhia-in-ukraine-093148150.html
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Chernobyl Tank Assault
Mar 27, 2022
(5:40)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz2nhRaBjQo
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Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia power cuts: nervous wait as Ukraine nuclear power plants could start leaking radiation
March 10, 2022
https://theconversation.com/chernobyl-and-zaporizhzhia-power-cuts-nervous-wait-as-ukraine-nuclear-power-plants-could-start-leaking-radiation-178975
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Environmental radiation monitoring in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone-history and results 25 years after
October 2011
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51606562_Environmental_radiation_monitoring_in_the_Chernobyl_Exclusion_Zone-history_and_results_25_years_after
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Unprotected Russian soldiers disturbed radioactive dust in Chernobyl’s ‘Red Forest’, workers say
March 29, 2022
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/unprotected-russian-soldiers-disturbed-radioactive-dust-chernobyls-red-forest-2022-03-28/
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Conflict at Chernobyl could spread “radioactive dust” across Europe, warn Ukrainian authorities
02/25/2022
https://pollution.news/2022-02-25-conflict-chernobyl-spread-radioactive-dust-europe-ukraine.html
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Russians drove through radioactive Red Forest by Chernobyl with no radioactive gear on
March 28, 2022
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/russians-drove-through-radioactive-red-forest-by-chernobyl-with-no-radioactive-gear-on
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Russians drove through ‘Red Forest’, Chernobyl workers report incident from last February
Mar 29, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slqQXLJGtdY
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Russian Soldiers Exposed Themselves To Dangerous Chernobyl Radiation
03/28/22
https://www.ibtimes.com/russian-soldiers-exposed-themselves-dangerous-chernobyl-radiation-3453824
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Russian soldiers kick up radioactive dust in Chernobyl
March 28, 2022
https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/idRCV00AW7F
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Russian troops withdrawn from Chernobyl with ‘acute radiation sickness’: report
March 31, 2022
https://nypost.com/2022/03/31/russian-troops-withdrawn-from-chernobyl-with-radiation-sickness-report/
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Russia destroys Chernobyl radiation monitoring lab, says Ukraine
March 23, 2022
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/23/europe/ukraine-chernobyl-update-03-23-intl/index.html
Russian forces have looted and destroyed a laboratory near the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear power plant that was used to monitor radioactive waste, the Ukrainian government said Wednesday.
The site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster fell into Russian hands in the first week of Russia’s invasion, triggering fears that safety standards inside the exclusion zone could be compromised.
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IAEA Calls for Russia, Ukraine to Ensure Safety of Nuclear Plants
March 02, 2022
The International Atomic Energy Agency has called on the parties in the Russia-Ukraine conflict to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear plants. The director of the IAEA expressed concern about the plants Wednesday in remarks to a U.N. environmental conference in Kenya.
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UN peacekeepers should be sent in to protect Ukraine’s power plants and prevent nuclear disaster, expert says
March 8, 2022
https://inews.co.uk/news/un-peacekeepers-ukraine-power-plants-protect-russia-nuclear-disaster-1503738
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Ukraine Making Nuclear Bomb? Russia Says Kyiv Building ‘Dirty Bomb’ at Chernobyl Nuclear Plant
March 6, 2022
https://www.ibtimes.sg/ukraine-making-nuclear-bomb-russia-says-kyiv-building-dirty-bomb-chernobyl-nuclear-plant-63216
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Russian capture of Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear plant threatens future research on radioactivity and wildlife
February 28, 2022
https://theconversation.com/russian-capture-of-ukraines-chernobyl-nuclear-plant-threatens-future-research-on-radioactivity-and-wildlife-177805
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Russia’s war and Ukraine’s nuclear reactors
Feb 24, 2022
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/russias-war-and-ukraines-nuclear-reactors/
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Ukraine: Stop fighting near nuclear plant, minister urges Russia
4 March 2022
https://punchng.com/ukraine-stop-fighting-near-nuclear-plant-minister-urges-russia/
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Ukraine Nuclear Plant Threatened By Russian Army
February 27, 2022
https://www.simplyinfo.org/?tag=zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-plant-ukraine-russia-invasion
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Nuclear risk from war in Ukraine isn’t targeted missiles but accidental hits on reactors, safety expert warns
February 23, 2022
https://inews.co.uk/news/world/ukraine-war-nuclear-risk-russia-missiles-accidental-hits-reactors-1478269
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Russian troops shell Ukraine’s biggest nuclear plant, causing ‘real threat of nuclear danger’, says mayor
3/3/2022
Russian troops outside the city of Enerhodar are shelling the Zaporizhzhia power plant, Ukraine’s largest nuclear facility, and a fire has broken out, according to Ukrainian officials.
https://theworldnews.net/gb-news/russian-troops-shell-ukraine-s-biggest-nuclear-plant-causing-real-threat-of-nuclear-danger-says-mayor
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What we know about the state of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants as Russia invades
March 2, 2022
Ordinary Ukrainians were turning out to defend Europe’s largest nuclear power plant from a Russian takeover on Wednesday as the International Atomic Energy Agency convened an emergency meeting with the hope of creating safe zones around the embattled country’s nuclear reactors
https://bellona.org/news/ukraine/2022-03-what-we-know-the-state-of-ukraines-nuclear-power-plants-as-russia-invades
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‘Grave concern.’ Invasion puts spotlight on Ukraine nuclear reactors
February 25, 2022
https://wingsenvironmental.com/grave-concern-invasion-puts-spotlight-on-ukraine-nuclear-reactors/
International nuclear monitors warned yesterday that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could put Europe’s second-largest nuclear fleet at risk, even though initial fears of a new widespread contamination threat at the crippled Chernobyl plant appeared to be unfounded.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement that he’s following the unfolding situation in Ukraine with “grave concern” and called for “maximum restraint” to avoid any action that would put the nation’s 15 reactors at risk.
“It is of vital importance that the safe and secure operations of the nuclear facilities in that zone should not be affected or disrupted in any way,” Grossi said in the statement. “The IAEA is closely monitoring developments in Ukraine with a special focus on the safety and security of its nuclear power plants.”
James Acton, director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, also occur warning in a blog post that “even if Moscow doesn’t authorize direct against nuclear plants, such attacks might anyway. A weapon aimed at a nearby target could hit a nuclear power plant if its navigation system failed.”
Yesterday, officials in Ukraine, Europe’s second-largest nuclear power producer after France, said all of the country’s nuclear plants — Zaporizhia, Rivne, Khmelnytsky and South-Ukraine — were operating normally.
Grossi’s concerns were expressed after Russian soldiers seized the Chernobyl plant after what officials called a fierce battle with Ukrainian forces in the protected area surrounding the site near the city of Pripyat. In 1986, an explosion at one of Chernobyl’s reactors spewed radioactive clouds far into Western Europe.
After the invasion, Ukraine officials informed the IAEA that there had been no IA nor destruction at the plant, the IAEA said in a statement from its Vienna headquarters. Chernobyl is enclosed by a massive, $1.9 billion steel structure to contain still-dangerous levels of fuel and radioactive debris.
Early in yesterday’s Russian assault, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russian forces were trying to seize the Chernobyl facility and raised the specter of a dangerous new release. According to the Associated Press, Zelenskyy said on Twitter that “our defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated.” He added that “this is a declaration of war against the whole of Europe.”
Normally, the site would be full of workers and engineers continuing the decommissioning of the devastated reactors. A spokesperson for the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management, Yevgeniya Kuznetsovа, told CNN, “When I came to the office today in the morning [in Kyiv]it turned out that the [Chernobyl nuclear power plant] management had left. So there was no one to give instructions or defend,” she said.
“From a biological, nuclear safety point of view, this is a fairly benign site at this point,” said Lake Barrett, who served as acting representative director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management from 1993 to 2002. , it’s highly contaminated, and yes, it should be contained,” he continued, “but there’s no active energy there that can cause an explosion or cause a plume of any biological significance.”
Yet Kate Brown, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who has written about the Chernobyl accident, said she fears that fighting at the reactor site could start fires that could carry smoke-borne radioactivity.
“It’s called an exclusion zone for a reason,” Brown said. The steel containment structure, the length of nearly three football fields, was needed to control leaking radioactivity, she said: “The last thing you want is a hitting missile that.”
Similarly, Acton at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace wrote that the bigger nuclear risk involves potential fighting around Ukraine’s four active plants. Unlike Chernobyl, those plants are not isolated, and the invasion could create safety issues such as preventing workers from traveling to reactors to allow them to operate safely or causing power appearances that affect the ability to cool reactors.
“To put it simply, nuclear power plants are not designed for war zones,” Acton wrote.
At Chernobyl, it remains unclear whether military action was at the reactor site or elsewhere in the roughly 1,000-square-mile protected zone. The site is on the route from Belarus to Kyiv.
“As far as the facility itself, you could shoot an anti-tank rocket or high explosives into the building and blow a hole into the building,” Barrett said. “It’s just steel. It’s not an armored building. It’s a sheet metal building on a frame.”
But Barrett said even if that happened, the amount of heat from the exploded core is comparable to “the heat from a car: It’s not going to explode; it’s not going to melt.”
A greater risk would have been explosions from artillery impacting soil around the site contaminated with radioactive cesium, which could then become airborne as dust, Barrett said.
Barrett noted that Chernobyl is 10 miles from the border with Belarus, an ally of Russia, and that much of the contamination — outside the containment zone — is in Belarus and Russia itself, so any tampering with the plant would spread contamination into those areas.
“That doesn’t make any sense if they were going to do something detrimental at the Chernobyl site; the contamination is going to go into Belarus long before it goes anywhere else,” Barrett said.
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NUCLEAR ALERT: How many nuclear power plants are in Ukraine?
4 Mar 2022
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17840732/nuclear-power-plants-ukraine/
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A Ukraine Invasion Could Go Nuclear: 15 Reactors Would Be In War Zone
Dec 28, 2021
https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2021/12/28/a-ukraine-invasion-will-go-nuclear-15-reactors-are-in-the-war-zone/?sh=702095cc27aa
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List of power stations in Ukraine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_power_stations_in_Ukraine
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Nuclear power in Ukraine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_Ukraine
Uranium mining
In 2005 there were 17 deposits on the state balance account. Three of them Vatutine, Central, and Michurinske were being developed, while an ore enrichment[clarification needed] factory was being built at Novokostiantyniv. Number of deposits are exhausted (i.e. Devladove, Zhovtorichenske, Pershotravneve, Bratske).
Activists have been long alerting about Dnipro Chemical Plant in Kamianske, which is a Soviet-times military uranium processing facility that consists of industrial buildings, equipment containing uranium waste as well as large landfills where tailings were stored. Small scale soil, water and dust leaks have been documented from the facility, but apart from securing the perimeter not much has been done to properly secure the plant
List of reactors
All of Ukraine’s RBMK reactors (the type involved in the 1986 Chernobyl disaster) were located at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. All of the reactors there have been shut down, leaving only the much safer VVER reactors operating in the country. Three of the reactors listed were built in post-independence Ukraine, with the first one of these being constructed in 1995; the other sixteen reactors the country inherited from the Soviet Union.
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Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_Exclusion_Zone
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Nuclear power in Ukraine: Crisis or path to energy independence?
July 1, 2015
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0096340215590793
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Nuclear power by country
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_by_country
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Chernobyl radiation spike probably from Russian tanks disturbing dust
25 February 2022
After Russian forces captured the ruined Chernobyl nuclear power plant on 24 February, sensors at the site report a spike in radiation levels
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2309700-chernobyl-radiation-spike-probably-from-russian-tanks-disturbing-dust/
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Chernobyl isn’t the biggest nuclear risk. Ukraine’s active nuclear power plants are.
Feb. 25, 2022
Ukraine said Friday morning that its 15 reactors were still operating “safely and securely,” but nuclear power plants “are not designed for war zones,” one expert said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/chernobyl-isnt-biggest-nuclear-risk-ukraines-active-nuclear-power-plan-rcna17697
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DECEPTION BEHIND NUCLEAR PLANTS
February 25th, 2022
https://www.bitchute.com/video/6xGL7ICPmFGr/
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Fallout radioactivity in soil and food samples in the Ukraine: measurements of iodine, plutonium, cesium, and strontium isotopes
1994 Aug
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7619095/
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How Far Did Chernobyl Radiation Reach?
March 16 2020
- One of four nuclear reactors in the Chernobyl power plant exploded in 1986, causing problems caused by the fallout of radioactive materials across Europe.
- The Soviets had to admit what happened in the Chernobyl power plant after the Swedish scientists detected high levels of radiation in their own country, only two days after the incident.
- Radioactive isotopes like americium-241 will slowly, but surely, keep contaminating the area that was affected by the explosion, as it has a half-life that lasts for more than a thousand years.
On April 26, 1986, the most horrific nuclear disaster in history happened in the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine. After a series of technical failures and poor human judgment in handling an unstable nuclear core, the RBMK reactor 4 exploded, facing the former USSR and the whole world with a problem that was new for everyone.
How far-reaching was the Chernobyl catastrophe, and how far did the radiation travel across Europe?
After The Explosion
One thing worth noting at the beginning is that even today, after almost 34 years have gone by, the negative effects of this accident are still changing the environment and the genetic structure of life forms, hundreds of miles around the city of Pripyat, where the Chernobyl power plant stood. When the reactor exploded, it was an immediate threat that made the USSR officials decide on evacuating the whole city of Pripyat (around 50,000 people). But, the spread of radioactive materials could not have been stopped.
The problem lies in the fact that there are radioisotopes in the nuclear core. Usually, they have rather high boiling points, which kept most of the radioactivity inside the reactor after it blew up. However, iodine-131 and caesium-137 have much lower boiling points, which enabled them to evaporate up in the air. After those particles were airborne, there was nothing that could stop them from spreading all over Europe.
Radioactive Winds
On April 28, just two days after the RBMK reactor 4 exploded, the winds carried the radioactive particles all the way to Sweden. Sweden is far from Ukraine, all the way up in the north of Europe, 683 miles (1100 km) away. Although the Soviet officials tried hard to cover up this accident, and it seemed that even them do not want to admit what happened, they had to come clean and soon reveal what was going on in Pripyat.
Flora And Fauna In Trouble
The impact of this accident was massive on the environment. The radioactive materials continued to spread over southeast Europe, and more than 77,000 square miles (200,000 square km) of land are contaminated in varying degrees. One thing good is that now, 30+years after the catastrophe, radioactive iodine is almost gone, as it has a relatively short half-life of only 30 years.
Some other radioactive particles, like strontium or caesium, are still not decaying, meaning they are not losing their radioactive (thus harmful) potential. Some isotopes like americium-241 have a half-life of more than a thousand years. Although their effect on the environment is small compared to iodine, it will slowly decay there for the next millennia or so.
All of these radioactive isotopes that flew around Europe, either carried by winds or brought down by rain or snow, contaminated the forests and all the life that was in them. Wild animals suffered greatly, as their food was full of fallout material, which later affected their reproduction, and the milk their offsprings fed on.
Even in the sub-arctic areas like Finland and Norway, the reindeer meat was contaminated, and it was not safe to eat, because the contamination would easily transfer to humans when ingested. Also, many of the bigger lakes across Germany and the whole Scandinavia all showed an increase in radioactive strontium, which would not be a problem if the lakes had any outflowing streams.
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Ukraine opens new nuclear waste site at Chernobyl
April 26, 2021
https://apnews.com/article/kyiv-environment-and-nature-business-ukraine-nuclear-waste-44ca26330ad79c7b04de5c75e0f004b9
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Missiles hit radioactive waste disposal site near Ukraine capital Kyiv
February 27, 2022
The extent of the radiation cannot be assessed until the shooting in the area has ceased, Ukraine’s Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said
https://inews.co.uk/news/missiles-hit-radioactive-waste-disposal-site-near-ukraine-capital-kyiv-1486720
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Radioactive waste disposal site near Kyiv hit by airstrike, Ukraine officials say
February 27, 2022
https://ph.news.yahoo.com/radioactive-waste-disposal-site-near-kyiv-hit-by-airstrike-ukraine-officials-say-143227754.html
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Ukraine: Russia Uses Banned Antipersonnel Landmines
March 29, 2022
https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/29/ukraine-russia-uses-banned-antipersonnel-landmines#
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Ukraine faces decades of landmine tragedies from unexploded Russian munitions
March 22, 2022
https://inews.co.uk/news/ukraine-faces-deadly-legacy-of-landmines-and-unexploded-munitions-leading-uk-charity-warns-1532753
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Land mines littered a proposed route for Ukrainians to flee, Red Cross official says
Mar 7, 2022
https://www.businessinsider.com/land-mines-proposed-ukraine-evacuations-humanitarian-corridor-red-cross-2022-3?op=1
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Children endure deadly legacy of landmines in eastern Ukraine
29 March 2020
After more than five years of conflict, Ukraine is now one of the most mine-affected countries in the world.
https://www.unicef.org/ukraine/en/stories/children-endure-deadly-legacy-landmines-eastern-ukraine
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Eastern Ukraine one of the areas most contaminated by landmines in the world
04 Apr 2019
https://www.unocha.org/story/eastern-ukraine-one-areas-most-contaminated-landmines-world
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Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor (UKRAINE)
http://archives.the-monitor.org/index.php/publications/display?url=lm/2000/ukraine.html
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Russians booby-trap ‘safe corridor’ in Ukraine with landmines: report
March 7, 2022
https://nypost.com/2022/03/07/russians-plant-landmines-in-ukraine-safe-corridor-report/
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REPORT: Russians booby-trap ‘safe corridor’ in Ukraine with landmines
March 7, 2022
https://dennismichaellynch.com/report-russians-booby-trap-safe-corridor-in-ukraine-with-landmines/
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It will take years to defuse war’s landmines, Ukraine says
March 18, 2022
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/it-will-take-years-to-defuse-wars-landmines-ukraine-says/
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WATCH – Ukrainian civilian removes landmine
Feb 28, 2022
https://www.timesnownews.com/mirror-now/in-focus/watch-ukrainian-civilian-removes-landmine-with-bare-hands-article-89888599
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Amid Russia-Ukraine War, Free-floating Naval Mines Threaten The Mediterranean
28th March, 2022
It has been 33 days since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he said was a “special military operation to denazify” Ukraine.
https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/russia-ukraine-crisis/amid-russia-ukraine-war-free-floating-naval-mines-threaten-the-mediterranean-articleshow.html
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Landmines in the Donbass conflict zone: threats for the population and the necessity of mine clearance
17 July 2018
https://www.boell.de/en/2018/07/17/landmines-donbass-conflict-zone-threats-population-and-necessity-mine-clearance
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Russia’s Mines Killing Europeans in Europe
April 12, 2021
https://glasnostgone.org/2021/04/12/russias-mines-killing-europeans-in-europe/
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Russian forces are using weapons widely banned across the world, says Harvard Law expert
March 3, 2022
Bonnie Docherty, who directs the Armed Conflict and Civilian Protection Initiative, says cluster munitions and other explosive weapons are particularly threatening Ukrainian civilians
https://today.law.harvard.edu/russian-forces-are-using-weapons-widely-banned-across-the-world-says-harvard-law-expert/
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Russia accused of using cluster munitions against Ukraine. What danger do they pose?
Feb 27, 2022
https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/ukraine/2022/02/27/russian-troops-enter-ukraines-2nd-largest-city-of-kharkiv/
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Ukraine, rights groups say Russia used cluster & vacuum bombs
March 1, 2022
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-ambassador-us-says-russia-used-vacuum-bomb-monday-2022-02-28/
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Ukraine claims Russia used an illegal vacuum bomb during invasion: ‘Potentially a war crime’
March 1, 2022
https://www.foxnews.com/world/ukraine-claims-russia-illegal-vacuum-bomb-invasion-war-crime
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What is a ‘vacuum bomb’ that Ukraine says Russia is using?
Mar 01, 2022
Russia-Ukraine war: Ukrainian ambassador Oksana Markarova told reporters that Russia has used a thermobaric weapon, which is also known as a vacuum bomb, in its invasion of her country.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the US and human rights groups said on Monday that Russia has been attacking the country with vacuum bombs and cluster bombs. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said that Russian troops are using widely banned cluster munitions. Amnesty also accused them of attacking a preschool where civilians had taken shelter.
Ukrainian ambassador Oksana Markarova told reporters that Russia has used a thermobaric weapon, which is also known as a vacuum bomb, in its invasion of her country. “They used the vacuum bomb today,” Markarova said on Monday, after a meeting with lawmakers. “…The devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large.”
CNN had also reported that one of its teams spotted a Russian thermobaric rocket launcher near the Ukrainian border on Saturday.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that there have been reports on the same but she does not have any confirmation on it yet. She said if it were true, it would be a potential ‘war crime’.
https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/world/story/what-is-a-vacuum-bomb-that-ukraine-says-russia-is-using-324296-2022-03-01
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Russia’s Small Nukes Are a Big Problem
February 01, 2022
https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/02/01/russias-small-nukes-are-a-big-problem/
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Thermobaric weapon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermobaric_weapon
A thermobaric weapon, also called an aerosol bomb, a vacuum bomb or a fuel air explosive (FAE),[1] is a type of explosive that uses oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion. The fuel–air explosive is one of the best-known types of thermobaric weapons…
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Ukraine Regrets Giving Up Giant Nuclear Arsenal 30 Years Ago
February 5, 2022
https://www.realcleardefense.com/2022/02/05/ukraine_regrets_giving_up_giant_nuclear_arsenal_30_years_ago_815418.html#!
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Is Russia getting ready to use chemical weapons in Ukraine?
22 March 2022
An attack on a Ukrainian chemical plant released toxic ammonia, forcing locals to stay indoors. Analysts suggest Russia may carry out more such attacks as a form of chemical warfare, and could escalate to deploying chemical weapons
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2313126-is-russia-getting-ready-to-use-chemical-weapons-in-ukraine/
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Amna Nawaz: If There’s Concern About Use Of Chemical Weapons, Where Is The Line?
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4p7aV7EsEU
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Jen Psaki Goes Full-Metal Alex Jones Claiming That Russia Is Plotting to Use Chemical Weapons in a ‘False Flag’ Attack
Mar 11, 2022
https://redstate.com/streiff/2022/03/11/jen-psaki-goes-full-metal-alex-jones-claiming-that-russia-is-plotting-to-use-chemical-weapons-in-a-false-flag-attack-n534600
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Ukraine Says Pro-Russia Rebels Are Building a Dirty Bomb
07/31/15
https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-says-rebels-are-building-dirty-bomb-358885
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Ukraine almost created a dirty nuclear bomb
2022
https://thefrontierpost.com/ukraine-almost-created-a-dirty-nuclear-bomb/
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Ukraine stored documents on Nuclear weapons in Zaporizhzhia: Report
March 6, 2022
The recent clashes at the administrative buildings near the Zaporizhzhia NPP could be a result of Ukraine storing documents on perspective developments of nuclear weapons there
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Secret US bio-labs in Ukraine
Feb 2022
https://radiopatriot.net/2022/02/24/secret-us-bio-labs-in-ukraine/
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The secret US biolabs in Ukraine
23 Apr 2020
In an interview on Ukraine, Rusell “Texas” Bentley revealed something that was deep in my memory – that the United States have secret bioweapons laboratories in Ukraine and in Georgia.
Ukrainians ask themselves what biolabs supervised by the US Department of Defense might be doing in Ukraine
https://seemorerocks.is/the-secret-us-biolabs-in-ukraine/
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U.S. intelligence pushes back on Putin’s bioweapons propaganda
March 10, 2022
https://news.yahoo.com/us-intelligence-pushes-back-on-putins-bioweapon-propaganda-205819197.html
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What are Russia’s biological weapons claims and what’s actually happening?
March 22, 2022
The UN security council met on Friday to discuss Moscow’s claims the US is funding ‘military biological activities’ in Ukraine
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/11/russia-biological-weapon-claim-us-un-ukraine-bio-labs-explainer
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Ukraine Bio-Labs Exposed!
Mar 11, 2022
https://banned.video/watch?id=622bdbe67d985c6b86dbb7dd
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EXPOSED: How Are Hunter Biden, Klaus Schwab & CIA Connected To US Biolabs In Ukraine?
March 11, 2022
https://www.newstreason.com/post/exposed-how-are-hunter-biden-klaus-schwab-cia-connected-to-us-biolabs-in-ukraine
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What Do Hunter Biden, Klaus Schwab & The CIA Have To Do With US Biolabs In Ukraine?- Pt. 2
March 08, 2022
https://www.newswars.com/what-do-hunter-biden-klaus-schwab-the-cia-have-to-do-with-us-biolabs-in-ukraine-pt-2/
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Russia’s sanctions against Hunter Biden ‘raises serious questions’
Mar 31, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM5TZsYz0QY
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Russia Says Joe Biden’s Son Hunter Funded Biolabs In Ukraine; Trump Makes This Request To Putin
Mar 30, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr4KeglUmKs
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Ukraine sues anti-nuclear campaigners
28th August 2015
Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear generator is suing anti-nuclear activists in its latest attempt to stifle public debate over the country’s ageing fleet of 15 nuclear reactors, while refusing to release information in breach of international obligations.
https://theecologist.org/2015/aug/28/ukraine-sues-anti-nuclear-campaigners
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Security Service of Ukraine found in Poltava region the illegal storage of toxic substances. Among the seized – toxins and biological agents that are pathogens of acute infectious diseases
2021
https://liveuamap.com/en/2021/2-november-security-service-of-ukraine-found-in-poltava-region
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Chemical Weapons in Russia: History, Ecology, Politics
1994
https://nuke.fas.org/guide/russia/cbw/jptac008_l94001.ht
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Covert chemical warfare/a time bomb in the Ukraine
February 28, 2014
https://blog.nomorefakenews.com/2014/02/28/covert-chemical-warfarea-time-bomb-in-the-ukraine/
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Fears grow of fallout from Ukraine toxic spill
July 18, 2007
Scores of people sought medical help on Wednesday after a poisonous chemical spill in Ukraine, Greenpeace said, and warned of the dangers to health and the environment from the toxic fumes.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-spill-idUSL1889283620070718
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About 16,000 people examined in Ukraine after toxic train derailment
20.07.2007
Authorities have checked 16,000 people for symptoms of chemical poisoning following a train derailment that ignited tankers loaded with yellow phosphorous and belched clouds of toxic gas in western Ukraine, the health minister said Friday.
Doctors examined thousands of emergency workers and residents in the Lviv region, where the accident occurred, Yuriy Haydaev said. More than 160 people remained hospitalized Friday, including 34 children.
Haydaev said not all of those sent to hospitals had serious symptoms. “We hospitalized all children who feel discomfort in their eyes or throats, at their parents’ insistence, but this does not mean they were poisoned,” he said.
There were no reported deaths.
The accident occurred Monday when a freight train derailed outside Lviv, near the Polish border, overturning 15 of its 58 cars.
Six tanker cars containing yellow phosphorus caught fire, sending noxious fumes over 90 square kilometers (35 square miles).
Transport Minister Mykola Rudkovsky said pressure valves were broken on the aging tanker cars, which should have been decommissioned five years ago. He said Ukraine has suspended rail shipments of yellow phosphorus.
Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Ihor Krol said the situation was under control and there was no health threat, denying rumors that toxic smoke was drifting toward other regions of Ukraine.
President Viktor Yushchenko has criticized the government of his rival, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, over its response to the accident, suggesting officials deliberately understated the health threat.
Viktor Bondar, deputy chief of the presidential administration, said Yushchenko has called for the dismissal of Rudkovsky, the transport minister. The president “gave a clear signal that there is no place for such ministers in the Ukrainian government,” Bondar said.
Yushchenko interrupted his vacation in Crimea on Friday to visit the site of the accident, talk with residents of the area and visit local hospitals, his office said in a statement.
The Emergency Ministry said rescuers had righted three of 15 overturned tanker cars, preparing to transport them back to Kazakhstan, where they originated. Firefighters have sprayed fire-suppressing foam on the damaged tankers to prevent new blazes.
Phosphorus compounds are used chiefly in fertilizers, although they are important components of pesticides, toothpaste and detergents, as well as explosives and fireworks.
Elemental phosphorus can ignite on contact with air in temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), and can cause liver damage if ingested.
About 50 million tons of cargo – 70 percent of which include dangerous substances like chlorine, nitrogen, ammonia and petroleum products – are transported by rail through Ukraine annually.
The chemical blaze and health threat sent shock waves through Ukraine, where many still remember the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant meltdown and explosion.
Toxic Cloud Follows Ukraine Derailment
July 17, 2007
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/toxic-cloud-follows-ukraine-derailment/
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Ukraine regains territories from Russia. Will Putin use nuclear weapons? | Rock Rachon | TVP World
Oct 4, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e96NwEpAXI
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No longer the unthinkable? Putin repeats nuclear threat as Russia retreats in Ukraine • FRANCE 24
Oct 5, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZpLKZqxQBI
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As Ukraine advances, how close are we to a nuclear escalation? | DW News
Oct 4, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pmGPtqw2oo
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Nuclear Disaster: Risk Highest Since 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis | Russian Invasion
Oct 7, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kakR-iHd5G4
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Bolton on Putin’s nuclear threat | CBS News Weekender
Oct 7, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5iQDV5tfA4
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President Zelensky Suggests Ukraine May Pursue Nuclear Weapons To Counter Russia, Putin Responds
Feb 23, 2022
https://clarion.causeaction.com/2022/02/23/president-zelensky-suggests-ukraine-may-pursue-nuclear-weapons-to-counter-russia-putin-responds/
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Ukraine Gave Up Nuclear Weapons 30 Years Ago. Today There Are Regrets.
February 5, 2022
https://www.universalpersonality.com/ukraine-gave-up-nuclear-weapons-30-years-ago-today-there-are-regrets/
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Ukraine’s nuclear regret: A look back at when and why Kyiv gave up its arsenal
February 24, 2022
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, thousands of nuclear arms, about one third of the Soviet nuclear arsenal, were left on Ukrainian soil by Moscow
https://www.firstpost.com/world/ukraines-nuclear-regret-a-look-back-at-when-and-why-kyiv-gave-up-its-arsenal-10406341.html
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Ukraine Missile Dismantlement Chronology
September 2007
https://media.nti.org/pdfs/ukraine_missile_dismantlement.pdf
2002-1994
22 February 2002
LAST SS-24 MISSILE DISASSEMBLED
Ukrainian television reported on 22 February 2002 that the last RT-23UTTKh ICBM [NATO designation SS-24
‘Scalpel’] was dismantled for storage at the Pavlohrad Mechanical Plant where SS-24 elimination is to take place.
Although Ukraine reportedly already destroyed 16 such missiles, the remainder of the missiles, and some 5,000
metric tons of solid rocket fuel stored at the Pavlohrad plant, remain to be disposed of with US assistance.
Pivdenne Design Bureau Chief Designer Stanislav Konyukhov, while praising US assistance, nevertheless criticized it
for being insufficient with regards to the continuing social needs of Pavlohrad workers.
—UT1 TV broadcast, 22 February 2002; in “Ukraine destroys its last SS-24 intercontinental missile,” FBIS Document
CEP20020223000085.
26 May 2002
SIX TONS OF SS-24 PARTS STOLEN
UNIAN reported on 26 May 2002 that the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast office of the Security Service of Ukraine
announced that six tons of RT-23UTTKh [NATO designation SS-24 ‘Scalpel’] ICBM components were stolen from the
Pavlohrad Mechanical Plant, which is conducting ICBM elimination. The thieves stole pieces of metal from one of
the plant’s dismantled missile parts warehouses. The thefts took place in March and April 2002 by a criminal group
headed by one of the plant’s deputy directors. The deputy director, with the assistance of several of the plant’s
workers, smuggled 2.8t of aluminum from the plant and sold 2.6t without proper documentation to a local
commercial organization which in turn sold it to a company based in Zaporizhzhya. The perpetrators were
reportedly arrested while transporting the metal. Pavlohrad Mechanical Plant’s losses are estimated at 14,600
hryvne ($2,739 as of 13 June 2002).
Related content is available on the website for the Nuclear Threat Initiative, http://www.nti.org.
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UN Security Council to meet Friday on biological weapons at Moscow’s request
11th March, 2022
https://www.daily-sun.com/post/609669/UN-Security-Council-to-meet-Friday-on-biological-weapons-at-Moscows-request
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The threat of a nuclear war: Russia reasserts rights to use nukes | Latest World News | WION
Mar 26, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGQl93bjRqE
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US defense secretary responds to Putin’s nuclear threat
Oct 2, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWrMW7H_RJw
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What To Make Of Putin’s Nuclear Threats | The Mehdi Hasan Show
Oct 4, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0hCv1Q42Q4
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As Ukraine advances, how close are we to a nuclear escalation? | DW News
Oct 4, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pmGPtqw2oo
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Russian diplomat: If NATO threatens us we have the right to press the nuclear button
March 23, 2022
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russian-diplomat-if-nato-threatens-us-we-have-the-right-to-press-the-nuclear-button/ar-AAVqnTb?li=BBoPWjQ
Dmitry Polyanskiy, one of Russia’s top diplomats in the United States, spoke to Sky News after Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said his boss could push the nuclear button if the country feels it is facing an “existential” threat.
Asked if Putin was right to hold the prospect of nuclear war over the rest of the world, Mr Polyanskiy said: “If Russia is provoked by NATO, if Russia is attacked by NATO, why not, we are a nuclear power.
“I don’t think it’s the right thing to be saying. But it’s not the right thing to threaten Russia, and to try to interfere. So when you’re dealing with a nuclear power, of course, you have to calculate all the possible outcomes of your behaviour.”
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Russian State TV Host Threatens Nuclear War, Asks ‘Why Do We Need the World If Russia Won’t Be in It?’
Feb 27th, 2022
https://www.mediaite.com/politics/russian-state-tv-host-threatens-nuclear-war-asks-why-do-we-need-the-world-if-russia-wont-be-in-it/
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Russian President Vladimir Putin says that the West is trying to cancel Russian culture | WION
Mar 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DdAGatPFKo
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WAR READY Russia could turn US into ‘radioactive ash’, warns pro-Kremlin TV as Biden prepares to confront Putin over Ukraine
6 Dec 2021
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/16953802/russia-could-turn-us-into-radioactive-cash/
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US weighing nuclear in Ukraine to deter Russia
7 Dec 2021
https://www.miragenews.com/us-mulling-nuclear-deployment-in-ukraine-to-688776/
The United States is exploring ways its military can help Ukraine defend itself in the event of an attack by Russia.
According to Western intelligence estimates, there are almost 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine’s borders as it is believed Moscow might be planning a large-scale military offensive in coming weeks.
Last week U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to make it “very, very difficult” for Russia’s Vladimir Putin to take military action amid spiralling tensions with Ukraine.
“Ukraine reached out [to the United States] and basically said, look, you have this [commitment] under the Budapest Memorandum to provide us with defence capabilities, including nuclear deterrence,” says a senior intelligence source who did not want to be identified.
“Deploying U.S. nuclear weapons in Ukraine as [deployed] on Turkish soil in 1959 to deter Soviet aggression is among the last-resort options being considered. This would make [invasion] “very, very difficult” for Russia as President Biden put it. However, this would not be a decision to take lightly.”
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, nuclear weapons were scattered across the former Soviet republics. Ukraine had inherited the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world, including some 1900 strategic nuclear weapons designed to strike the United States. Worried of the prospect of conflict among nuclear-armed states, the U.S. led international efforts to denuclearize Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Ukraine wanted international guarantees or assurances of its security and sovereignty once it got rid of the nuclear arms.
The Budapest Memorandum refers to a 1994 international agreement under which the United Kingdom and the United States, later joined by France and China undertook to provide security assurances to Ukraine.
In return, by mid-1996, Ukraine transferred the Soviet-made nuclear weapons to Russia and acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as non-nuclear-weapon states.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and has since backed armed separatists fighting Kiev in the east of the country with more than 13,000 dead so far. Russia privately seeks binding guarantees from the U.S. precluding NATO’s expansion to Ukraine.
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Ukraine Invasion: NATO activates chemical and nuclear defense elements | Ukraine latest
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJHpWx8PKMk
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Russia Ukraine war headed towards ‘Nuclear Stage’
Mar 20, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnljdiCPfQ4
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No (Nuclear) War Over Ukraine, Please
2022
https://www.indepthnews.info/index.php/opinion/5019-no-nuclear-war-over-ukraine-please
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EU Council President Shills for Trade Deal with Communist China Because Climate Change
21 Feb 2022
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/02/21/eu-council-president-shills-for-trade-deal-with-communist-china/
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Russian mobilization in Ukraine raises concerns about a new Cold War-style era in Europe
February 23, 2021
https://www.thederrick.com/ap/world/russian-mobilization-in-ukraine-raises-concerns-about-a-new-cold-war-style-era-in-europe/article_9113e784-02fd-5bac-887d-ea135194c6c5.html
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Cuba to deepen ties with Russia as Ukraine tensions mount
Feb 19, 2022
https://www.rappler.com/nation/cuba-deepen-ties-russia-as-ukraine-tensions-mount/
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While Ukraine simmers, Offutt eyes North Korean missile tests
Feb 7, 2022
https://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/while-ukraine-simmers-offutt-eyes-north-korean-missile-tests/article_457f55a3-49e5-58fd-abf3-f56672be1d4e.html
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North Korea Releases Bizarre ‘Hollywood’ Missile Video
Mar 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwxH5sgW3ms
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Does Russia Want a ‘Korean Scenario’ in Ukraine? What Would Be the Implications?
28 Mar 2022
Korea was carved up at the 38th Parallel into Soviet and US zones of occupation after WWII. In 5 years, war erupted.
https://www.thequint.com/news/world/russia-korean-scenario-ukraine-implications
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Ukraine war ignites debate on nuclear weapons in Japan
March 1st, 2022
Tokyo Letter: Former leader Shinzo Abe warns against treating discussion as ‘taboo’
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/ukraine-war-ignites-debate-on-nuclear-weapons-in-japan-1.4815496?mode=sample&auth-failed=1&pw-origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Fasia-pacific%2Fukraine-war-ignites-debate-on-nuclear-weapons-in-japan-1.4815496
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Japan claims sovereignty over Russia controlled Kuril Islands | DW News
Mar 10, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0AjdFIx9PY
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Belarus referendum approves proposal to renounce non-nuclear status – agencies
February 27, 2022
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/launchpad-russias-assault-ukraine-belarus-holds-referendum-renounce-non-nuclear-2022-02-27/
A referendum in Belarus on Sunday approved a new constitution ditching the country’s non-nuclear status at a time when the former Soviet republic has become a launch pad for Russian troops invading Ukraine, Russian news agencies said.
The agencies cited the Belarus central elections commission as saying 65.2% of those who took part voted in favor. The result came as little surprise, given the tightly controlled rule of President Alexander Lukashenko.
The new constitution could see nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil for the first time since the country gave them up after the fall of the Soviet Union.
It raises the stakes at a time when Lukashenko has fallen behind Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military assault on Ukraine after earlier playing an intermediary role between the two neighbours.
The West has already said it will not recognise the results of the referendum, which is taking place against the background of a sweeping crackdown on domestic opponents of the government. According to human rights activists, as of Sunday, there were more than a thousand political prisoners in Belarus…
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Slovak Parliament Bans Processing of Foreign Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel
13.09.2021
Slovakia has banned processing of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel from other countries in its territory. The relevant ban was introduced by the Resolution of the Parliament on 8 September on amending the Environment Act of 1992.
It “explicitly prohibits activities related to radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, which does not originate in Slovakia,” parliamentary documents said. Furthermore, it places any such activities “in the context of pollution and environmental damage.”
The proposal was submitted by four members of the National Council, who sought to “contribute to the reduction of the burden and endangerment of the environment and at the same time to the prevention of the emergence of health risks.” They proposed to minimize all potential risks (although they did not identify specific risks or damage) by completely banning the import of radioactive waste into the country…
https://www.uatom.org/en/2021/09/13/slovak-parliament-bans-processing-of-foreign-radioactive-waste-and-spent-nuclear-fuel.html
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Ukraine holds military drills with US, Poland, Lithuania
27 July 2021
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/ukraine-holds-military-drills-us-160507807.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdWNrZHVja2dvLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABWcRM_Wo0FJFZ7key0h-1TzsZ-3EUnPkMSy-5XQ3-SIGyszJlOtioRoZTfw2NXOdwIWX7rBFrFzKMb-ExEEWRcU-YD4YuoUhhe8p5NmsriWylqBvZ3yaKC61F45NB4vIid8CCcBQPXn45fdtKuN88E_d1QYvPAC8pBCQR6LMZ7f
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American Forces Participate In Active NATO Military Exercises In Latvia
Mar 7, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va2h3Wjcy-Q
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Risk of a Ukraine war spreading in Europe rests on unknowns
Feb 16, 2022
https://azdailysun.com/news/national/govt-and-politics/risk-of-a-ukraine-war-spreading-in-europe-rests-on-unknowns/article_b4a4e914-9037-51f6-9a15-36cd61a3a190.html
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Denmark Plans to Allow US Troops on Its Soil
February 10, 2022
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/02/10/denmark-allow-us-troops/
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Ukraine crisis: Hungary won’t accept more NATO troops on its soil, says foreign minister Szijjártó
February 2022
https://flipboard.com/topic/coldwar/ukraine-crisis-hungary-won-t-accept-more-nato-troops-on-its-soil-says-foreign-/a-ly6B5KGbQfCUwBQPYVGaig%3Aa%3A731131120-d8ff0f5b8d%2Feuronews.com
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Ukraine Prohibits Men Aged 18 to 60 Years Old From Leaving Country: Official
February 24, 2022
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Will Use Nuclear Weapons Only In Case Of “Threat To Existence Of State”, Says Russia Amid War Against Ukraine
March 29, 2022
The latest round of talks between Russia and Ukraine will be held on Tuesday in Istanbul, Turkey. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hoped that the in-person talks would be successful.
https://www.india.com/news/world/russia-ukraine-conflict-will-use-nukes-only-in-case-of-threat-to-existence-of-state-says-vladimir-putin-amid-war-against-zelensky-5308989/
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Russia Finally Rules Out Using Nuclear Weapons Over Ukraine War
3/29/22
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-peskov-putin-nuclear-weapons-biden-1692753
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How Likely is that Valadimir Putin will use nuclear weapons?
20th Mar, 2022
https://www.bolnews.com/international/2022/03/how-likely-is-that-valadimir-putin-will-use-nuclear-weapons/
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SENIOR PENTAGON ANALYST: “YES, PUTIN WILL USE TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS AGAINST NATO”
March 1, 2022
https://www.skywatchtv.com/2022/03/01/putin-will-nuclear/
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STARK RAVING BUNKERS: Paranoid Putin and his inner circle ‘living in top-secret nuke bunkers’ sparking fears of nuclear war
Mar 29 2022
https://www.the-sun.com/news/5000095/paranoid-putin-living-top-secret-nuke-bunkers-nuclear-war/
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Putin ‘goes into HIDING’ as reports claim top officials may have fled to nuclear bunkers
Mar 29, 2022
VLADIMIR PUTIN could be sheltering in secret luxury nuclear bunkers along with other top Russian officials, in anticipation of a nuclear war, reports claim.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1587942/russia-putin-ukraine-nuclear-world-war-weapons-bellingcat-vladimir
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Zelensky: “We must be prepared, A major attack is possible.”
3-30-2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgaIR7rtQrs
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Russian military movement ‘not a real withdrawal,’ Pentagon says | USA TODAY
Mar 30, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ59BZGjsN4
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Nuclear weapons testing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapons_testing
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine nuclear weapons’ effectiveness, yield, and explosive capability. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, how detonations are affected by different conditions, and how personnel, structures, and equipment are affected when subjected to nuclear explosions. However, nuclear testing has often been used as an indicator of scientific and military strength. Many tests have been overtly political in their intention; most nuclear weapons states publicly declared their nuclear status through a nuclear test…
Soviet Union: 715 tests (involving 969 devices) by official count, plus 13 unnumbered test failures. Most were at their Southern Test Area at Semipalatinsk Test Site and the Northern Test Area at Novaya Zemlya. Others include rocket tests and peaceful-use explosions at various sites in Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. Soviet Union’s table data.
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Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Explosions_for_the_National_Economy
Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy (Russian: Ядерные взрывы для народного хозяйства, romanized: Yadernyye vzryvy dlya narodnogo khozyaystva; sometimes referred to as Program #7[1]) was a Soviet program to investigate peaceful nuclear explosions (PNEs). It was analogous to the United States program Operation Plowshare.
One of the better-known tests was Chagan of January 15, 1965. Radioactivity from the Chagan test was detected over Japan by both the U.S. and Japan in apparent violation of the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT). The United States complained to the Soviets, but the matter was dropped.
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Peaceful nuclear explosion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaceful_nuclear_explosion
Contents
1 Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty
2 United States: Operation Plowshare
3 Soviet Union: Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy
4 Other nations
5 Civil engineering and energy production
5.1 Terraforming
6 Physics
7 Propulsion use
8 Asteroid impact avoidance
9 See also
10 Books
11 References
12 External links
Peaceful nuclear explosions (PNEs) are nuclear explosions conducted for non-military purposes. Proposed uses include excavation for the building of canals and harbours, electrical generation, the use of nuclear explosions to drive spacecraft, and as a form of wide-area fracking. PNEs were an area of some research from the late 1950s into the 1980s, primarily in the United States and Soviet Union.
In the U.S., a series of tests were carried out under Project Plowshare. Some of the ideas considered included blasting a new Panama Canal, constructing the proposed Nicaragua Canal, the use of underground explosions to create electricity (project PACER), and a variety of mining, geological, and radionuclide studies. The largest of the excavation tests was carried out in the Sedan nuclear test in 1962, which released large amounts of radioactive gas into the air. By the late 1960s, public opposition to Plowshare was increasing, and a 1970s study of the economics of the concepts suggested they had no practical use. Plowshare saw decreasing interest from the 1960s, and was officially cancelled in 1977.
The Soviet program started a few years after the U.S. efforts and explored many of the same concepts under their Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy program. The program was more extensive, eventually conducting 239 nuclear explosions. Some of these tests also released radioactivity, including a significant release of plutonium into the groundwater and the polluting of an area near the Volga River. A major part of the program in the 1970s and 80s was the use of very small bombs to produce shock waves as a seismic measuring tool, and as part of these experiments, two bombs were successfully used to seal blown-out oil wells. The program officially ended in 1988.
As part of ongoing arms control efforts, both programs came to be controlled by a variety of agreements. Most notable among these is the 1976 Treaty on Underground Nuclear Explosions for Peaceful Purposes (PNE Treaty). The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty of 1996 prohibits all nuclear explosions, regardless of whether they are for peaceful purposes or not. Since that time the topic has been raised several times, often as a method of asteroid impact avoidance.
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Yenakiieve
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yenakiieve
Yenakiieve is a city in the Donetsk Oblast (province) of eastern Ukraine. It is incorporated as a city of oblast significance (a special status within the region equal to that of a raion (district)). The city stands on the Krynka River about 60 kilometres (37 mi) from the oblast’s administrative center, Donetsk. Its population is approximately 77,053 (2021 est.).
Yenakiieve is an important regional centre of coal mining, metallurgy, chemical production and manufacturing. The city’s outdated industry has caused accidents like that of a gas explosion which occurred in June 2008 at one of Yenakiieve’s coal mines.
Yenakiieve was founded in 1898 when numerous workers’ settlements around the Peter’s Iron and Steel Works were united into a single settlement named after Fyodor Yenakiyev [ru]. Its first coal mines had dated from 1883. The settlement was incorporated as a city in 1925. By 1958, the city and factories had expanded significantly and overtook the out-lying villages of Simyukuo, Yevrah, and Tsiminyenny, all of which were resettled in their entirety when local livestock could not survive the expanding steel mills’ runoff and pollution.
One of the oldest metallurgical factories of Ukraine—the Yenakiieve Iron and Steel Works—operates in Yenakiieve.
History
Permanent settlements on the territory of present-day Yenakiieve were founded in 1783. In 1858 Sofiyevsky coal mine was opened there. At the same time Petrovsky cast-iron plant was constructed (today Yenakiyeve Iron and Steel Works).
In 1895 engineers F. Yenakiev and B. Yalovetsky and several Belgian businessmen founded a Russian-Belgian metallurgic society which by 1897 constructed a new Petrovsky cast-iron plant around the settlement Fyodorovka. Coal mines were opened around the plant. Settlements were formed near them and in 1898 they were united into one called Enakievsky after the founder of the Russian-Belgian metallurgic society. The writer A. I. Kuprin who worked at the plant in 1896 described workers’ lives in the story “Molokh”. Before World War I several plants were built in Yenakiieve: coke chemical, brick, beer brewing and butter making. Petrovsky plant became one of the largest metallurgic plants (3rd place) in southern Russia. In 1913 it produced 349,200 tons of cast-iron and 316,400 tons of steel. As a result of ruin after World War I and Civil War of 1919–1921 Petrovsky plant was the only one producing steel. By 1925 the population in Yenakiieve was 34,000, it was referred to as a town.
In 1928 the town was renamed into Rykovo, after Soviet party- and statesman Alexei Rykov. After Rykov was arrested in 1937 and the town was renamed as Ordzhonikidze after another Soviet leader Sergo Ordzhonikidze. The name Yenakiieve was returned to the town in 1943. By 1939 the population of the town was 88,200.
During World War II Yenakiieve was under siege from Italian army auxiliary units that were seconded to the German Army. They were followed by German units. The city was attacked from 31 October 1941 and not freed until 3 September 1943. Street fighting was fierce between the end of November and beginning of December 1941. “Recruitment” of civilians (Ostarbeiter) began in December 1941. In 1950 about twelve Italian POWs (prisoners of war) were put on trial, over atrocities in Yenakiieve (including the destruction of a hospital). Apparently no convictions were registered, and by 1954 all Italian POWs were returned to Italy.
In the 1950s several plants were put into operation: of ferro-concrete items, of construction material, of house building and automobile-repairing. On September 16, 1979, on the territory of Yenakiieve in the mine “Yuny Communar” there was one of the Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy—an object “Klivazh”. In 2002 the mine was closed as non-perspective and environmentalists worry about the danger of filling the mine with water. It might cause radioactive pollution of the underground water. That’s why pumps continue to pump the water out of the abandoned mine.
During the War in Donbas the city was captured by pro-Russian separatists when on 13 April 2014 pro-Russian activists captured its town hall and declared that the city was part of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic. Only the city suburb Vuhlehirsk stayed under control of the Ukrainian authorities.
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Nuclear terrorism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_terrorism
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ALL SYSTEMS GO: Putin boasts hypersonic nukes capable of wiping out US cities are bigger, better & already ‘on alert’ sparking WW3 fears
Oct 13 2021
https://www.the-sun.com/news/3849670/putin-boasts-hypersonic-nukes-on-alert/
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This is the Czar’s Bomb, the most destructive nuclear weapon in the world
March 9, 2022
https://24newsrecorder.com/world/121313
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Putin Threatens to Nuke the World | Opinion
3/8/22
https://www.newsweek.com/putin-threatens-nuke-world-opinion-1685241
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Worries grow over Putin’s stability, mindset
03/01/22
https://thehill.com/policy/international/596269-worries-grow-over-putins-stability-mindset
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Vladimir Putin’s mental state questioned by growing number of US officials
February 28, 2022
https://www.foxnews.com/us/has-russian-president-vladimir-putin-lost-mind
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Russia boycotts UN court hearing on Ukraine invasion
7 Mar 2022
https://www.breitbart.com/news/ukraine-asks-un-court-to-end-russia-invasion/
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World leaders denounce Russia’s recognition of Ukraine separatist regions
Feb 22, 2022
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/world/news/world-leaders-condemn-russias-recognition-separatist-ukraine-regions-2967806
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Ukraine rejects Belarus as location for talks
27-02-2022
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/1939812-ukraine-rejects-belarus-as-location-for-talks
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Ukraine: Russia faces war crimes investigation
March 3rd, 2022
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60597751
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Russia’s bombing of maternity hospital in Mariupol ‘a war crime’, UK defence minister says
10 March 2022
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/russia-mariupol-children-hospital-heappey-b2032667.html
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‘Leave no stone unturned’: how investigators gather evidence of war crimes in Ukraine
6 Mar 2022
Multiple investigations launch as experts caution worst crimes likely yet to come under Russian occupation
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/mar/06/leave-no-stone-unturned-how-investigators-gather-evidence-of-war-crimes-in-ukraine
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Russia-Ukraine live news: ‘Appalled’ G7 backs war crimes probe
24 Mar 2022
Western nations pledge more aid for Kyiv, back war crimes probe as Pentagon says Russia is likely running out of precision-guided missiles in Ukraine.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/24/appalled-g7-countries-back-icc-war-crimes-probe-ukraine-liveblog
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War crimes in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_crimes_in_the_2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, part of the Russo-Ukrainian War that started in 2014, Russian authorities have been accused of committing war crimes, including using cluster munition and thermobaric weapons in residential areas, attacking humanitarian corridors, medical care facilities and other civilian targets, shooting at unarmed civilians and forcefully deporting them from occupied Ukrainian territory to Russia. The International Criminal Court is currently investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the country.
Contents
1 Crime of aggression
2 Attacks on civilian areas
2.1 Use of cluster munitions
2.2 Targeting of humanitarian corridors
2.3 Thermobaric weapons
3 Targeting of nuclear power plants
4 Looting
5 Deportations
6 Torture
7 Attacks on civilians
7.1 Attacks on hospitals and medical care facilities
7.1.1 Mariupol Hospital airstrike
7.2 Donetsk Oblast
7.2.1 Mariupol theatre airstrike
7.2.2 Mass shelling of residential areas in Mariupol
7.2.3 Missile attack on Donetsk
7.3 Chernihiv Oblast
7.3.1 Chernihiv bombing
7.4 Sumy Oblast
7.4.1 Bombing of Sumy
7.5 Kharkiv Oblast
7.6 Kyiv Oblast
7.6.1 Bucha shooting
7.6.2 Irpin shelling
7.6.3 Bombing of Kyiv
7.7 Mykolaiv bombing
7.8 Zhytomyr Attacks
7.9 Kremmina elderly home attack
7.10 Other incidents
8 Treatment of Russian prisoners of war and persons hors de combat
9 Legal proceedings
9.1 International Criminal Court
9.1.1 List of countries that referred the situation in Ukraine to the ICC
9.2 International Court of Justice
9.3 International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine
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Biden administration formally accuses Russia of war crimes
Mar 23, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk-Flz2O28M
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: Indiscriminate killing of civilians ‘is clearly becoming a war crime’
12/03/2022
https://www.france24.com/en/video/20220312-russia-s-invasion-of-ukraine-indiscriminate-killing-of-civilians-is-clearly-becoming-a-war-crime
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Russia-Ukraine peace talks ‘more realistic,’ but indiscriminate killing of civilians continues
March 16, 2022
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/russia-ukraine-peace-talks-more-realistic-but-indiscriminate-killing-of-civilians-continues
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Russia’s indiscriminate killing of civilians in Ukraine
Mar 10, 2022
https://www.vesterholdings.com/news/russias-indiscriminate-killing-of-civilians-in-ukraine/
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Russia Accused Of Indiscriminate Bombings
March 17, 2022
https://news.yahoo.com/russia-accused-indiscriminate-bombings-154512421.html
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Axios Today podcast: Russia’s indiscriminate killing of civilians in Ukraine
March 10, 2022
https://news.yahoo.com/axios-today-podcast-russias-indiscriminate-111216415.html
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Butcher of Mariupol: Russian Colonel behind horrific civilian attacks identified
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqs0tm8YshQ
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Shocking footage shows Russian ballistic missile destroying shopping mall in Kyiv, Ukraine
Mar 21, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfZpoVp4op4
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Vladimir Putin’s troops seen running like terrorists in Kherson, Ukraine | 7NEWS
Mar 22, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhZgoRHL-hQ
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Ukraine War – Drone Shows Intense Close Combat Between Ukrainian & Russian Troops In Kherson
Mar 5, 2022
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Russian army uses ISIS terrorists’ methods in Ukraine. Double bombing, hostages and human shields
Mar 15, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBsX3os6a2A
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Russian soldiers holding hand grenades threaten to destroy Konotop in east Ukraine
Mar 2, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEO5zkybzBQ
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WHO says 64 hospitals attacked since Russian invasion of Ukraine
24 Mar 2022
UN agency condemns attacks in ‘strongest possible terms’ and notes attacks on health facilities are a breach of international law.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/24/who-says-64-hospitals-attacked-since-russia-invasion-of-ukraine
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Russia-Ukraine War: WHO Confirms Over 70 Attacks On Ukrainian Health Care Facilities
26th March, 2022
World Health Organisation (WHO), on Friday, said that there have been 72 discreet attacks on hospitals, ambulances and doctors since the Russian invasion.
https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/russia-ukraine-crisis/russia-ukraine-war-who-confirms-over-70-attacks-on-ukrainian-health-care-facilities-articleshow.html
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Fears of medicine shortages and disease outbreak in Ukraine after Russian invasion
01 March ,2022
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2022/03/01/Fears-of-medicine-shortages-and-disease-outbreak-in-Ukraine-after-Russian-invasion
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New Health Crises Emerge in Ukraine as Fighting Continues
March 10, 2022
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20220310/new-health-crises-emerge-ukraine
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War on Ukraine Sparks Healthcare and Disease Crises
March 11, 2022
https://www.contagionlive.com/view/war-on-ukraine-sparks-healthcare-and-disease-crises
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Ukraine: Dirofilariasis case reported in Melitopol
February 19, 2022
http://outbreaknewstoday.com/ukraine-dirofilariasis-case-reported-in-melitopol-70008/
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WHO confirms 18 attacks on Ukrainian hospitals and ambulances, creating the “worst possible ingredients” for spread of disease
March 9, 2022
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-ukraine-news-18-attacks-hospitals-ambulances-world-health-organization/
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Ukraine war leaves a long shadow of pollution, ill-health and ravaged industries
24th May 2015
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Ukraine conflict: Russia bombs Kharkiv’s Freedom Square and opera house
March 1st, 2022
https://www.userwalls.com/n/ukraine-kharkiv-attack-war-crime-president-zelensky-2889026/
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Gunfire outside a hospital and the aftermath of battle as Russian forces move into Ukraine
Feb 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIu7VLJISsc
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Russia-Ukraine war: WHO says attacks on hospitals increasing every day
March 2022
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/russia-ukraine-war-who-says-attacks-on-hospitals-increasing-every-day/ar-AAVw25E
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Airstrike hits Ukraine maternity hospital, 17 reported hurt
Mar 9, 2022
https://www.wfla.com/news/international/ukraine-says-russian-strike-destroyed-childrens-hospital/
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‘We don’t know how to survive here’: a cancer ward for Ukrainian children under siege
1 Mar 2022
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/01/cancer-ward-chernihiv-hospital-ukrainian-children-under-siege
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Ukrainian children travel across a war zone to orphanage in Lviv
March 5th, 2022
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/ukrainian-children-travel-across-a-war-zone-to-orphanage-in-lviv/ar-AAUFjV7
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35 killed in air strikes on Lviv military base in western Uk ..
Mar 13, 2022
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/35-killed-in-air-strikes-on-lviv-military-base-in-western-ukraine-near-poland-border-regional-governor/articleshow/90184509.cms
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Ukrainian defense minister: Russian who bombed theater is a “monster”
Mar 17, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0fFt6Ytzio
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Ukraine theater turned bomb sheltered destroyed
3/16/2022
https://www.concordmonitor.com/Glimmers-of-hope-seen-at-talks-as-Russia-s-onslaught-goes-on-45531890
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Ukraine denounces new ‘Wall’ in Europe as theatre hit
March 17, 2022
KYIV — Ukraine’s leader on Thursday (March 17) said Russia was building a new Cold War wall across Europe “between freedom and bondage”, after his government accused invading forces of bombing a theatre sheltering many civilians and marked with the word “children”.
https://www.todayonline.com/world/ukraine-denounces-new-wall-europe-theatre-hit-1849026
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BURIED ALIVE: Mariupol theatre bombing death toll ‘soars to 300’ after Putin’s butchers blitzed women and kids cowering for safety
25 Mar 2022
AT least 300 people are said to have died in the Mariupol theatre bombing after Vladimir Putin’s savage troops blitzed women and kids cowering for safety.
Up to 1,200 terrified people were sheltering in the drama theatre in the southern port city in Ukraine when it was attacked by the Russians earlier this month – despite the word “children” being written outside the building…
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/18062716/mariupol-theatre-bombing-death-toll-soars/?rec_article=true
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Ukraine Foreign Minister Says Bucha Killings Are Just the ‘Tip of the Iceberg’
April 4, 2022
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Monday the evidence of civilian killings from the town of Bucha are just the “tip of the iceberg” and show the need for tougher sanctions on Moscow.
Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday they were investigating possible war crimes by Russia after images from Bucha showed the bodies of civilians lying on the ground and makeshift graves.
“The horrors that we’ve seen in Bucha are just the tip of the iceberg of all the crimes (that) have been committed by the Russian Army,” Kuleba said at a press conference alongside British foreign minister Liz Truss.
“Half measures are not enough any more. I demand most severe sanctions this week, this is the plea of the victims of the rapes and killings. If you have doubts about sanctions go to Bucha first.”
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-04-04/ukraine-foreign-minister-says-bucha-killings-are-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg
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Ukraine saves 130 people from destroyed Mariupol theatre as rescue efforts continue
March 18, 2022
https://globalnews.ca/news/8692328/ukraine-mariupol-theatre-rescue-efforts-russia-war
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10 Ukrainian Civilians Gunned Down in Breadline
Mar 16, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=savjLE5bta8
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In The Soviet Era People Lined Up For Bread, But In 1990… ?
August 20, 2010
https://geardiary.com/2010/08/20/in-the-soviet-era-people-lined-up-for-bread-but-in-1990/
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Russia to Execute Families of Ukraine Soldiers Who Refuse to Surrender
26th February 2022
U.S State Department reveals threats from Putin’s invading forces
https://neonnettle.com/news/18405-russia-to-execute-families-of-ukraine-soldiers-who-refuse-to-surrender
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Russia Attacks Ukraine: Russia drops 500 kg bomb in Ukraine, 202 schools destroyed, 34 hospitals turned into rubble
March 8, 2022
https://www.newsncr.com/world/russia-attacks-ukraine-russia-drops-500-kg-bomb-in-ukraine-202-schools-destroyed-34-hospitals-turned-into-rubble/
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Ukraine crisis: 202 schools, 34 hospitals damaged in Russian shelling
March 8, 2022
https://news24online.com/news/world/ukraine-crisis-202-schools-34-hospitals-damaged-russian-shelling-3c0ba545/
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Russian forces destroyed in Ukraine: Russia demolished 202 schools and 34 hospitals; 1,500 houses razed to the ground in Ukraine – Russian forces destroy list more schools and hospitals says Ukraine
March 10, 2022
https://newsy-today.com/russian-forces-destroyed-in-ukraine-russia-demolished-202-schools-and-34-hospitals-1500-houses-razed-to-the-ground-in-ukraine-russian-forces-destroy-list-more-schools-and-hospitals-says-ukraine/
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Ukrainian Schools Reduced To Rubble In Russian Attacks
March 05, 2022
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-schools-bombing/31737808.html
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Russia attacks art school, steps up attacks on Ukrainian civilians
March 20, 2022
https://news.yahoo.com/russia-attacks-art-school-steps-125828853.html
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Russia bombs art school where 400 civilians were sheltering in Mariupol
March 20, 2022
https://nypost.com/2022/03/20/russia-bombs-art-school-where-400-civilians-were-sheltering-in-mariupol/
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Ukraine accuses Russia of bombing Mariupol school sheltering 400
20 Mar 2022
Authorities in the port city say those sheltering in the targeted school include women and children.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/20/ukraine-accuses-russia-of-bombing-mariupol-school-sheltering-400
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Russian missile destroys school in Zhytomyr
Mar 4, 2022
https://www.imalbania.com/kosova/russian-missile-destroys-school-in-zhytomyr/
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21 killed in pre-dawn Russian attack on school
Mar 17, 2022
https://wgntv.com/news/russia-ukraine-crisis/21-killed-in-pre-dawn-russian-attack-on-school/
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Russian Forces Attack Kindergarten in Ukraine, Casualties Reported: Officials
2/25/22
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-attacks-ukraine-kindergarten-orphanage-sumy-oblast-shelter-casualties-reported-1682656
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President Putin criticised for Russia’s attack on schools, theatres, and hospitals in Ukraine
March 18, 2022
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/russia-ukraine-war/video/russia-ukraine-war-president-putin-called-war-criminal-schools-theatres-hospitals-bombed-1926733-2022-03-18
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Russia To Be Investigated Over Possible War Crimes Following Attacks On Schools, Hospitals
01 March 2022
https://www.ladbible.com/news/latest-icc-launches-investigation-into-russian-war-crimes-in-ukraine-20220301
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Live updates: 20 babies from surrogate moms in bomb shelter
Mar 19, 2022
https://www.clintonherald.com/region/live-updates-ukraine-russian-forces-kidnapped-journalist/article_f1b22b1a-3942-5a1b-85bc-d5ca024a147a.html
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One month of war leaves more than half of Ukraine’s children displaced
25 Mar 2022
https://www.indiablooms.com/world-details/F/33916/one-month-of-war-leaves-more-than-half-of-ukraine-s-children-displaced.html
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On the ground: Fatherless children a painful reality of war in Ukraine
March 2022
https://helenair.com/news/local/on-the-ground-fatherless-children-a-painful-reality-of-war-in-ukraine/article_9e338a95-eaa5-54a6-8ef0-b5e5735b901d.html
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Voices from Ukraine 2
Mar. 7, 2022
https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/opinion/2022/03/07/chernihiv-bombarded/9412666002/
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Ukraine’s libraries are offering bomb shelters, camouflage classes and, yes, books
March 9, 2022
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/09/1085220209/ukraine-libraries-bomb-shelters
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Russia’s Next Move in Ukraine: Destroy Ukraine’s History?
March 16, 2022
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/03/russias-next-move-in-ukraine-destroy-ukraines-history/
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Ukrainians work to protect historic monuments from Russian bombs
March 12, 2022
https://www.ypradio.org/2022-03-12/ukrainians-work-to-protect-historic-monuments-from-russian-bombs
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Human history stored in cave for million years for future civilisations to find
March 6, 2022
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These are some of the historical sites at risk in Kyiv
26th March 2022
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/ukraine-historical-sites-kyiv-threatened/index.html
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At Ukraine’s largest art museum, a race to protect heritage
March 6, 2022
https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/At-Ukraine-s-largest-art-museum-a-race-to-16980791.php
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Ukraine scrambles to protect artifacts and monuments from Russian attack
March 15, 2022
https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2022/03/15/1086444607/ukraine-cultural-heritage-russia-war
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Art theft and looting during World War II
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_theft_and_looting_during_World_War_II
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Looted art
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looted_art#Looting_by_the_Soviet_Union
Looted art has been a consequence of looting during war, natural disaster and riot for centuries. Looting of art, archaeology and other cultural property may be an opportunistic criminal act or may be a more organized case of unlawful or unethical pillage by the victor of a conflict. The term “looted art” reflects bias, and whether particular art has been taken legally or illegally is often the subject of conflicting laws and subjective interpretations of governments and people; use of the term “looted art” in reference to a particular art object implies that the art was taken illegally.
Related terms include art theft (the stealing of valuable artifacts, mostly because of commercial reasons), illicit antiquities (covertly traded antiquities or artifacts of archaeological interest, found in illegal or unregulated excavations), provenance (the origin or source of a piece of art), and art repatriation (the process of returning artworks and antiques to their rightful owners).
Looting by the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union engaged in systematic looting during World War II, particularly of Germany – seeing this as reparations for damage and looting done by Germany in the Soviet Union. The Soviets also looted other occupied territories; for example, looting by Soviets was common on the territories theoretically assigned to its ally, communist Poland. Even Polish Communists were uneasy, as in 1945, the future Chairman of the Polish Council of State, Aleksander Zawadzki, worried that the “raping and looting by the Soviet army would provoke a civil war.” Soviet forces had engaged in plunder on the former eastern territories of Germany that were to be transferred to Poland, stripping it of anything of value. A recently recovered masterwork is Gustave Courbet’s Femme nue couchée, looted in Budapest, Hungary, in 1945.
Paintings, which were looted by Soviet troops, came also from private German collections by art collectors as Otto Gerstenberg, Bernhard Koehler, Friedrich Carl Siemens (1877–1952), Otto Krebs, Eduard von der Heydt, Eduard Lorenz Lorenz-Meyer or Paul Sachse.
In 1998, and after considerable controversy, Russia passed the Federal Law on Cultural Valuables Displaced to the USSR as a Result of the Second World War and Located on the Territory of the Russian Federation, which allowed Russian institutions to keep art works and museum pieces looted during World War 2.
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Ukraine and Russia dispute over Crimea gold reaches next level
04.02.2022
An eight-year legal tug-of-war between Kyiv and Moscow over a historic collection of Crimean artifacts has been referred to the highest court in the Netherlands.
https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-and-russia-dispute-over-crimea-gold-reaches-next-level/a-60657228
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Russia to return looted art, but not to Germany
20 Apr 2000
Law change announced as Moscow agrees ‘exceptional’ swap with Berlin of drawings for section of Amber Room Russia: special report
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/apr/21/russia.iantraynor
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Soviets Reported to Hide Looted Art
1991
https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/30/arts/soviets-reported-to-hide-looted-art.html
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‘The Russian soldiers raped every German female from eight to 80’
1 May 2002
Antony Beevor, author of the acclaimed new book about the fall of Berlin, on a massive war crime committed by the victorious Red Army
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/may/01/news.features11
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Holocaust Investigation Marathon Part 1
2018
https://archive.org/details/HolocaustInvestigationMarathon1
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Are Russians responsible for state terrorism?
23rd Mar, 2022
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Are_russians_responsible_for_state_terrorism
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Poland Seizing Russian Funds Over ‘Terrorist’ Activity Accusation
3/24/22
https://www.newsweek.com/poland-seizing-russian-funds-over-terrorist-activity-accusation-1691646
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Ukraine warns Russia plotting false-flag ‘terrorist attack’ at Chernobyl
March 11, 2022
https://nypost.com/2022/03/11/russia-plotting-false-flag-terrorist-attack-at-chernobyl-ukraine/
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Destruction of cultural heritage by the Islamic State
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destruction_of_cultural_heritage_by_the_Islamic_State
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Russia To Attract 16,000 Former ISIS Fighters To Participate In War In Ukraine – Podoliak
11 March 2022
https://ukranews.com/en/news/840612-russia-to-attract-16-000-former-isis-fighters-to-participate-in-war-in-ukraine-podoliak
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Graphic Video Shows Dead Russian Soldiers Wearing Ukrainian Uniform; Ukraine Lifts Age Restriction on Military Recruitment
February 26, 2022
https://www.ibtimes.sg/graphic-video-shows-dead-russian-soldiers-wearing-ukrainian-uniform-ukraine-lifts-age-restriction-62998
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A warning from veteran who went to Ukraine
Mar 22, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltxaSooKfhY
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Scale Of Russia’s Attack On Ukraine Captured In Pre-Dawn Explosions, Bombed Apartments
Feb 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si5XmDcB7DQ
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Ukraine: Russian Troops Attack Residential Areas of Irpin, Visuals Of Big Explosion Accessed
Feb 27, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ0Y-IYT3OU
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Civilians covered in blood as Russia bombs apartment in Ukraine
Feb 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLcHPV-X_Xo
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Missile Strikes as Ukrainian Man Shoots Selfie Video
Mar 2, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfdsFicQq1g
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Russia-Ukraine War: Russian Tanks Attack Ukrainian City | Top Defining Images | Top War Updates
Mar 12, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDXwi6pb5bA
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Ukraine War – Russian Tank Fires Directly At Residential Building • Nearly Hits Person Filming
Mar 1, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhxUq2fuiIg
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Ukraine: CCTV footage shows residential building blast in Kyiv
Mar 14, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSfNAkKiPX0
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Explosions rattle Kyiv as Russia attacks Ukrainian capital
Feb 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u3FrEQ2oZY
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Gunfire and explosions in Kyiv as Russia attacks Ukrainian capital
Feb 26, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqFjSe8ES1o
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Ukraine War: Explosions rock Ukrainian capital Kyiv
Mar 21, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjsJjHZkB18
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Ukrainian army explode Russian tanks in Kyiv suburb ‘forcing them to retreat’
Mar 10, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_ie6vAvGnM
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Ukraine’s artillery pick off Russian military vehicles on outskirts of Kyiv
Mar 18, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YGwXnfV-0E
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Battles of Kyiv Throughout History | Into Context | War in Ukraine 04
Mar 14, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG3Oe2-Qpps
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War in Ukraine: Kyiv and Mariupol death toll rises | DW News
Mar 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKRhIF242dg
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What does Russia’s strategic shift mean for the further course of the war in Ukraine? | DW News
Mar 26, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6qJudDRseg
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Several airstrikes on Ukraine’s western city of Lviv | DW News
Mar 26, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB5nlebec5A
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Ukrainian man survives after military vehicle swerves to crush his car
Feb 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDnNsCKm5m4
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Video Shows Elderly Couple Being Killed By Russian Armored Column
Mar 9, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV0HgDRw2co
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Drone footage appears to show Russian soldiers shooting civilian with his hands up
March 16, 2022
https://nypost.com/2022/03/16/drone-footage-appears-to-show-russian-soldiers-shooting-civilian-with-his-hands-up/
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Graphic Video Shows Ukrainian Youth Riding Bike Killed By Russian Shell
Feb 24, 2022
https://thetruereporter.com/graphic-video-shows-ukrainian-youth-riding-bike-killed-by-russian-shell/
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CNN military analyst: ‘This is just war criminality’
Mar 23, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Osf1BgRmR0
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UKRAINE 2018 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT
https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/UKRAINE-2018-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf
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85 cases of human rights violation in Ukraine have been recorded during the last 3 months – UN Monitoring Mission
19.09.2018
https://uacrisis.org/en/68620-un-human-rights-report
During the last 3 months UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has documented 85 cases of human rights violations. The Government of Ukraine was responsible for 53 of them, so called “LPR”/”DPR” – for 10, occupying Russian authority in Crimea – for 22. In total, mission has recorded more than 160 violations as a result of which 282 persons suffered, in particular, 63 cases of human rights violations connected with arbitrary detention, unlawful detention, tortures, sexual abuse, threats to physical integrity on both sides of demarcation line.«In government controlled territories we are continuing to get access to official places of detention and conducting confidential interviews in 7 Ukrainian cities. In contrast, in the territories controlled by armed groups we are continued to be denied in confidential access to detainees. Such denies reaffirm us to concern about condition and methods that are used against them», – Fiona Frazer said, the Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission to Ukraine during the presentation of the report in Ukraine Crisis Media Centre.
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U.S. State Department Lists Ukraine’s Plentiful Human Rights Abuses In 2020
01.04.2021
https://southfront.org/u-s-state-department-lists-ukraines-plentiful-human-rights-abuses-in-2020/
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REPORT ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN UKRAINE
1 AUGUST 2021 – 31J ANUARY 2022
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/33rdReportUkraine-en.pdf
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Ukraine: Grave human rights violations in territories under recent Russian control
16.03.22
https://www.omct.org/en/resources/statements/ukraine-grave-human-rights-violations-in-territories-under-recent-russian-control
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Blinken: U.S. believes Moscow made plans to ‘inflict widespread human rights abuses’ in Ukraine
February 24, 2022
https://theweek.com/russo-ukrainian-war/1010603/blinken-us-believes-moscow-made-plans-to-inflict-widespread-human
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Update on the human rights situation in Ukraine (24 February – 26 March 2022)
28 Mar 2022
https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/update-human-rights-situation-ukraine-24-february-26-march-2022
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Will There Be Accountability for Russian Abuses in Ukraine?
February 28, 2022
https://www.csis.org/analysis/will-there-be-accountability-russian-abuses-ukraine
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Read: U.S. letter to the U.N. alleging Russia is planning human rights abuses in Ukraine
Feb 20, 2022
https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/read-u-s-letter-to-the-u-n-alleging-russia-is-planning-human-rights-abuses-in-ukraine/93a8d6a1-5b44-4ae8-89e5-cd5d328dd150/
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Human rights in Ukraine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Ukraine
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Legality of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine violated international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and constitutes a crime of aggression in international criminal law. The invasion has also been called unlawful under some countries’ domestic criminal codes—including those of Ukraine and Russia—although there are procedural obstacles to prosecutions under these laws. This article discusses the international and domestic legal provisions Russia is said to have violated, as well as Russia’s legal justifications for the invasion and the responses of legal experts to those justifications. The legality of the Russian invasion per se is a distinct subject from whether individual political officials or combatants have engaged in war crimes or crimes against humanity. Russia vetoed all votes against them in The UN Security Council.
Contents
1 Background
1.1 War in Donbas
1.2 Leadup to Russian military action
1.3 Start of and justifications for invasion
2 United Nations charter
2.1 Legality of Russia’s use of force against Ukraine
2.1.1 Self-defense justification
2.1.2 Genocide/humanitarian intervention justification
2.1.3 Comparisons to Western interventions in other countries
2.2 UN responses to Russian invasion
3 Crimes of aggression
4 Legality of invasion under domestic criminal codes
5 Ongoing legal proceedings
5.1 International Court of Justice
5.2 International Criminal Court
5.2.1 Jurisdiction
5.2.2 Obstacles to prosecuting crime of aggression
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Kremlin Vet: They’ll Overthrow Putin Before Giving Him ‘Bad News’ About Russian Setbacks In Ukraine
Mar 9, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MgZQOkP1yM
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Section 2: War in Ukraine
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Russian territory was shelled from the Russia-occupied territory. OSINT Evidence
2022-02-21
https://www.stopfake.org/en/russian-territory-was-shelled-from-the-russia-occupied-territory-osint-evidence/
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Russia claims shell fired from Ukraine destroys border post
February 21, 2022
No casualties reported, says Russian Federal Security Service
https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/russia-claims-shell-fired-from-ukraine-destroys-border-post-3589832
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Russia launches criminal case over Ukraine shelling of Rostov
19 Feb 2022
Russia initiates a criminal case over Ukraine shelling Rostov, and Kiev denies such “attack” on Russian territories…
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/russia-launches-criminal-case-over-ukraine-shelling-of-rosto
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Huge explosion rocks Russia as sparks fly on border with Ukraine with soldiers ‘injured’
Mar 30, 2022
A HUGE EXPLOSION has rocked Russia, causing sparks to fly near its border with Ukraine and injuring a number of soldiers, according to reports.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1588217/russia-news-huge-explosion-hits-putins-troops-ukraine-border
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Russia starts destroying Ukraine’s military infrastructure
24.02.2022
https://english.pravda.ru/news/hotspots/150417-russia_attacks_ukraine/
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Russia destroys Ukraine’s air defenses, disables military infrastructure
24.02.2022
https://english.pravda.ru/news/hotspots/150421-russia_ukraine_air_defense/
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Russia destroys 74 military facilities in Ukraine
24.02.2022
https://english.pravda.ru/news/hotspots/150447-russia_ukraine_war/
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Russia destroys 1,502 military facilities of Ukraine
02 Mar 2022
https://www.indiablooms.com/world-details/F/33593/russia-destroys-1-502-military-facilities-of-ukraine.html
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Russia-Ukraine War: Russian Tankers Destroyed In Kyiv; Ukraine Pegs Number At 80
25th February, 2022
From war-torn Ukraine, Republic on Friday got visuals that show damaged and destroyed Russian tanks lying on ground zero.
https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/russia-ukraine-crisis/russia-ukraine-war-russian-tankers-destroyed-in-kyiv-ukraine-pegs-number-at-80-articleshow.html
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Putin Russia Ukraine War: Russia destroys Ukraine’s Airbases, Why did Russia attack Ukraine
Feb 24, 2022
https://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/russia-ukraine-crisis-russia-declares-war-on-ukraine-1645686937-1
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Russian strikes in Ukraine destroy world’s largest plane
27 February 2022
The Antonov-225 cargo plane, nicknamed ‘Dream,’ could transport up to 250 tons of cargo; was widely used during COVID pandemic
https://www.timesofisrael.com/russian-strikes-in-ukraine-destroy-worlds-largest-plane/
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BLOODY RESISTANCE: Ukraine claims it killed or captured 2,800 Russian troops and destroyed 600 armoured vehicles since Putin’s invasion
25 Feb 2022
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17766796/russia-failed-day-one-ukraine-invasion/
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Ukraine Military Claims 3,500 Russian Soldiers Killed, 102 Tanks And 14 Planes Destroyed
26th February, 2022
The Ukrainian military made heavy claims that it destroyed 14 Russian planes, 8 helicopters, 102 tanks, 536 armoured vehicles and 15 artillery systems.
https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/russia-ukraine-crisis/ukraine-military-claims-3500-russian-soldiers-killed-102-tanks-and-14-planes-destroyed-articleshow.html
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The Russian military’s heavy losses from Ukraine in chart
3-21-2022
There are more than 150,000 Russian troops involved in the war with Ukraine, and an estimated 7,000 are have died within three weeks of fighting.
Experts contribute the high casualty rate to a poorly trained Russian army.
The immense casualties are unsustainable for the Russian army.
In three weeks of fighting in Ukraine, Russia has lost an estimated 7,000 troops, according to U.S. intelligence. That’s more than the number of American troops lost in either the Afghanistan or Iraq war.
Experts say this rate of casualties is unsustainable for the Russian army and is terrible for morale on the battlefield and at home. There are more than 150,000 total Russian troops involved in the war with Ukraine, and an estimated 14,000 to 21,000 are injured, a huge toll that is contributing to the stalemate developing as Ukrainian fighters halt the Russian advance.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-russian-military-s-heavy-losses-from-ukraine-in-charts/ar-AAVkIVK
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Russia loses 510-530 troops daily in battles
3-28-2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMk4B2VExL0
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7,000 to 15,000 Russian soldiers dead; Zelenskyy calls for gatherings to show support for Ukraine
March 23, 2022
https://www.ksl.com/article/50373457/nato-7000-to-15000-russian-troops-dead-in-ukraine
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Up to 40,000 Russian soldiers killed, wounded, captured or MIA in Ukraine, NATO estimates
Mar 23, 2022
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/23/up-to-40000-russian-soldiers-killed-wounded-captured-or-mia-nato-says.html
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Russia has mobile crematoriums that ‘evaporate’ dead soldiers: report
February 24, 2022
https://nypost.com/2022/02/24/russia-has-mobile-crematoriums-that-evaporate-the-dead-report/
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Russian officials may soon need to call up more conscripts and reservists to replace their heavy losses in Ukraine
March 2022
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-officials-may-soon-need-to-call-up-more-conscripts-and-reservists-to-replace-their-heavy-losses-in-ukraine/ar-AAVssTz
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Putin authorizes draft of nearly 135,000 into Russian military
Mar 31, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdRN7RBWDII
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Russian Military Contractor Accused Of Human Rights Abuses Deployed To Ukraine
Mar. 29, 2022
The Wagner Group is expected to bring up to 1,000 mercenaries to take part in combat operations in Ukraine after the regular Russian military experienced heavy losses.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/russia-ukraine-wagner-group_n_62428b84e4b0587dee5fe581
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What is the Wagner Group, Russia’s mercenary organisation?
Mar 7th, 2022
Supposedly active in Ukraine, it has been accused of human-rights abuses and has ties to the Kremlin
https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/03/07/what-is-the-wagner-group-russias-mercenary-organisation
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Implausible Deniability: Russia’s Private Military Companies
June 02, 2020
Wagner in Libya
Soldiers in Search of Fortune
https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/06/02/implausible-deniability-russia-s-private-military-companies-pub-81954
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Band of Brothers: The Wagner Group and the Russian State
September 21, 2020
https://www.csis.org/blogs/post-soviet-post/band-brothers-wagner-group-and-russian-state
This article is part of the CSIS executive education program Understanding the Russian Military Today.
The Russian private military company Wagner Group may appear to be a conventional business company. However, its management and operations are deeply intertwined with the Russian military and intelligence community. The Russian government has found Wagner and other private military companies to be useful as a way to extend its influence overseas without the visibility and intrusiveness of state military forces. As a result, Wagner should be considered a proxy organization of the Russian state rather than a private company selling services on the open market.
Historical and legal background of private military companies in Russia
The post-Cold War era brought a renaissance of private security companies (PSCs) and private military companies (PMCs). Both state and non-state actors have frequently relied on their services, as these companies are more flexible, cheaper, less accountable, and often a lot more capable than regular militaries. Conflicts of the 21st century, particularly the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, saw PMCs getting involved on all levels, from providing logistical support to high-intensity operations.
Post-Soviet Russia followed the trend of privatization of state violence relatively late, mostly due to the internal resistance of the armed forces, as well as to economic hardships. While there are thousands of private security companies operating in the country, guarding infrastructure and providing VIP-protection services, private military companies still can not be established legally on the territory of the Russian Federation. Although certain legal loopholes, to be explained later, made it possible for a few companies resembling Western PMCs to operate in the 1990s, Russian private military companies gained worldwide attention only in the 2010s, as a result of their participation in the wars in Syria and Ukraine.
Russia builds on the Soviet Union’s long history of operating proxy forces abroad. For example, the so-called Soviet Volunteer Group was an air force detachment deployed to China during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. Nominally, all the pilots and technicians were volunteers, and Moscow officially denied any connection to them; in fact, they belonged to the Soviet Air Force. A few years later, during the Winter War against Finland, the Soviet Union used the puppet government of pro-Moscow Finnish politician, Otto Wille Kuusinen, as a cover for its attack on Finland. The 400,000-plus strong attacking force nominally belonged to the Kuusinen-government; however, this cover was so weak that Moscow abandoned it before the end of the war.
In the Cold War era, the Soviet Union sent thousands of military specialists under the cover of “advisors” to many conflicts worldwide, primarily the Middle East. Soviet advisors played an important role in modernizing the armed forces of Syria, Egypt, Libya, and a number of other states. In the 1990s, Russian “volunteers” participated in the separatist conflicts of Moldova and Georgia, while the Russian state officially denied its involvement in the conflicts and labelled them civil wars.
More recently, Russian military scholars have closely studied how the United States and its allies employed PSCs and PMCs in Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition, Russia had direct, though sporadic, contacts with Western PSCs in Afghanistan. The arms trafficking network of Viktor Bout occasionally even cooperated with several PSCs while it provided logistical services to the U.S. forces in Iraq.
Private military companies as tools of influence
The Kremlin has developed its own view of PMCs. Instead of approaching the question from the budgetary perspective—namely that PMCs are more flexible and cheaper than the regular military—Russia perceives them mainly as political-military tools of state influence, which can be employed under the cover of plausible deniability. As pointed out by Anna Borshchevskaya, in 2009 several special operations units of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) were subordinated directly to Chief of Staff Nikolay Makarov. Though there is no direct evidence, these units were probably intended to become the personnel source for private military companies to be set up in the future. A year later, Makarov publicly spoke about the need to use private military companies “for delicate missions abroad.” The logic prevailed: in April 2012, when then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was asked in the Russian Duma about whether he supported the idea of creating a network of Russian private military companies, he replied positively and emphasized that PMCs could be tools of influence abroad, allowing the realization of national interests without the direct involvement of the state. As examples, he noted that such companies could provide protection of important facilities, as well as training for foreign military personnel abroad. Plausible deniability played a key role in Russia’s considerations about setting up private military companies, based also on the rich historical experiences Moscow has.
Another motivation for using PMCs is that it permits the Russian state to hide personnel losses from the Russian public. As these formations are formally private companies, their losses do not count in the official Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reports of how many servicemen have died or been injured. Thus, Russian MoD reports about the lost voennosluzhashchie (servicemembers) never include losses suffered by Russian private military companies operating in the same operational theater. The same logic allows Russia to deny the involvement of its proxies in the conflicts, as PMC contractors do not count as voennosluzhashchie. This is significant because Russian PMC operatives often fight in the front lines and attack difficult positions, and so their losses are much higher than those of the regular military.
The legal background
The Russian constitution specifically stipulates that all matters of security and defense belong solely to the state. Consequently, the establishment of private military companies is illegal in Russia, despite repeated efforts of certain powerful groups to change that. Pro-legalization arguments mostly center around the wide international practice of using PMCs, which would justify Russia doing the same. According to news reports, however, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other security agencies are strongly against lifting this ban.
However, there are a number of important loopholes in the Russian legislative system. While individuals are not allowed to serve as mercenaries, per the Russian Criminal Code, state-run enterprises are permitted to have private armed forces and security foundations. Combined with a usually dense de facto network of subcontractors, this allows Russian citizens to work for private military companies despite the nominal ban. Another workaround is to register companies abroad, which allows Russian authorities to ignore the operations of the “foreign” PMC. As Candace Rondeaux argues, the likely motivation of the Russian state to not push for the full legalization of private military companies is that this legal opacity adds to the overall ambiguity surrounding these entities; thus it increases the state’s freedom of maneuver in using them.
In practice, the legal environment is so permissive that most Russian private military companies prefer to recruit exclusively Russian citizens. Meanwhile, the formal ban on serving as a mercenary provides the Russian state with strong legal leverage over PMC operatives, ensuring their overall compliance with the state’s preferences.
Wagner Group is far from being the sole Russian private military company. Anna Maria Dyner lists several other Russian private military companies that have operated abroad, such as the E.N.O.T. Corporation in Syria and the Feraks group in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iraqi Kurdistan, and Sri Lanka, as well as the Antiterror-Orel Group and many others.
Direct predecessor of the Wagner Group: the Slavonic Corps
In line with the restrictive legal environment and the logic of plausible deniability, the so-called Slavonic Corps, a private military company, was set up in Hong Kong in 2013 by two employees of a conventional Russian PSC: the Moran Security Group. According to a Norwegian study published in 2020, however, it was in fact the Syrian government that contracted the Moran Security Group to assist Syrian government forces in fighting the Islamic State. As Moran itself was not up to the task, even though it had been operating in Syria already for at least a year, the decision was taken to set up a new entity; this became the Slavonic Corps.
Operatives of the Slavonic Corps deployed to Syria in 2013. Their mission was to assist Syrian forces in re-capturing oil facilities from Islamic State militants. However, several coordination and logistical problems arose. The key problem was that the Slavonic Corps relied on the Syrian government for logistics, but instead of the promised modern weapons, it received outdated weaponry in insufficient numbers. Its first combat mission in Syria ended with a spectacular defeat near Deir al-Zour. Survivors were transported back to Russia, and the company was disbanded.
The Wagner Group and Its Connections to the Russian State
The private military company Wagner Group appeared shortly after the Slavonic Corps ceased to exist. While Wagner is frequently referred to as a private company connected to the Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, there are several factors indicating that the entity is closely linked to the Russian state.
An important detail is that Wagner Group is not registered either in Russia or anywhere else— de jure, the company does not exist. In line with the logic of ambiguity described above, the Russian state not only tolerates but, in many cases, actively supports its actions.
The career of Dmitry Utkin
Dmitry Utkin is the founder of the Wagner Group. A veteran of both Chechen wars, Utkin served in the GRU until 2013, after which he commanded a Spetsnaz unit, reaching the rank of a lieutenant colonel. In 2013, he quit the service and joined the Moran Security Group, in whose ranks he participated in the Slavonic Corps’ above-mentioned, failed operation in Syria. In 2014, he quit Moran and established the Wagner Group. The company was named after his old callsign “Vagner.” It cannot be verified whether Utkin initiated the establishment of Wagner Group or was only a front man for someone else.
Operatives of the Wagner Group, as well as Utkin himself, participated in the Russian operations in Ukraine in 2014. During the period from 2014 to 2015, Ukrainian signals intelligence intercepted three phone conversations of Utkin reporting to GRU Colonel Oleg Ivannikov, as well as to Major General Evgeny Nikiforov, chief of staff of Russia’s 58th Army. These conversations indicated that Utkin was subordinated both to the GRU and to the Russian military command. Another indicator of Utkin’s very close connection to the Russian state is that he was photographed at a Kremlin reception held on December 9, 2016, where he was decorated with the Order for Courage, allegedly for his services in Ukraine.
Shared base with the GRU
The main base of the Wagner Group is located in a town called Molkino, in Russia’s Krasnodar district. What makes this facility highly unusual is that it is operated jointly by the 10th Separate Special Purpose Brigade of Russia’s GRU and the Wagner Group. After passing the first checkpoint guarded by GRU soldiers, if one drives left, they will come to the GRU facility, while the road on the right leads to the Wagner barracks. An investigative report, published in the Russian journal Znak in March 2018, revealed that despite the fiasco at Deir ez-Zor, the base was constantly expanded and new buildings were being built.
It is highly unusual for any private company to share a base with an elite, special operations military unit, and it is particularly odd that GRU personnel guard the road leading to the barracks of a PMC. The fact that Molkino base operates the way it does implies that relations between the two organizations are indeed cordial.
Reliance on Russian military infrastructure
There have been several documented occasions where Wagner operatives used transport infrastructure related to Russia’s Ministry of Defense. When Wagner operatives were deployed to Venezuela to assist President Nicolas Maduro, they arrived onboard Russian Air Force transport aircrafts, an Ilyushin Il-62M and an Antonov An-124. In Libya, Russian military Ilyushin Il-76 cargo aircrafts supply Wagner operatives fighting on the ground. Wagner personnel regularly fly in and out of Syria on military transport aircraft.
And transport is not the only sector where it can be documented that Wagner is relying on Russian military infrastructure. Multiple investigative reports confirm that operatives of Wagner Group are treated and rehabilitated in Russian military hospitals. For example, after the February 2018 defeat at Deir ez-Zor, the wounded survivors were evacuated by Russian military medical aircraft to the military hospitals in Rostov and Moscow. This detail indicates that Wagner is connected so closely to Russian military structures that their operatives are entitled to receive specialized military health care—a benefit unlikely to be received by any normal private company.
GRU-issued passports
According to reports of the Ukrainian security service (the SBU), verified by Bellingcat’s investigative reporting, Wagner operatives often use passports issued by a special passport desk in Moscow: Central Migration Office Unit 770-001. This unit issues passports almost exclusively to people linked to Russia’s Ministry of Defense. It was the same Unit 770-001 that issued the passports on the fake identities of the two perpetrators of the assassination attempt on Sergei Skripal. Moreover, the documented passports of Wagner operatives were issued with sequential numbers, implying they were given out in groups, in an organized way. As the journalists of Bellingcat observed, this indicates that the Russian state not only tolerates but actively supports the operations of Wagner contractors abroad.
Presidential-level intervention for the sake of the Wagner Group
The last weeks of the 2020 presidential election campaign in Belarus brought an unexpected development: on July 29th, Belarusian authorities arrested 33 Russian citizens who allegedly belonged to the Wagner Group. While Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko used the story of the arrested Wagner operatives for his election campaign, accusing them of planning to interfere with the elections, independent sources revealed that, in fact, the Wagner Group has been using Belarus regularly as a transit country to various operational theaters; thus their presence on Belarusian territory was by no means extraordinary.
On July 31st, Russian President Vladimir Putin specially convened a meeting of the Russian National Security Council to discuss the issue. Thereafter, Putin raised the matter at leasttwice during his bilateral phone conversations with Lukashenko. Not surprisingly, the arrested Russian Wagner operatives were released shortly after the Belarusian elections were over, without any charges. The fact that the arrest of Wagner operatives made Putin urgently convene a special meeting of the National Security Council and that he discussed the issue directly with Lukashenko indicates that the fate of the arrested Wagner operatives was of extremely high importance to the Kremlin—which would be unlikely had Wagner not been closely connected to the Russian state.
Conclusion
Wagner is closely, often directly, connected to the Russian state. There is evidence indicating that the Wagner Group was subordinated to the Russian military in Ukraine. Wagner extensively relies on Russian military infrastructure, from using a shared base to being transported by Russian military aircraft to using military health care services. The Russian state is also documented supporting the Wagner Group with passports and, as implied by the recent events in Belarus, even by presidential-level political intervention.
Considering these factors, the transatlantic scholarly discourse about the Wagner Group should change. Instead of using the Russian narrative, according to which Wagner is a private military company, Wagner should be viewed as a classic proxy organization and handled accordingly. In this context, the fact that Wagner intends to appear as a private military company should be considered of limited relevance.
András Rácz is Senior Research Fellow of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) operating in Berlin, Germany. The views expressed here are solely of his own, and do not represent the official position of CSIS, of any other institution, or state.
Background research for the present study has been conducted with the support of the research grant No. 129243., titled ‘Tradition and Flexibility in Russia’s Security and Defense Policy’, provided by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office of Hungary.
CSIS does not take specific policy positions. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).
1An important methodological particularity is that this analysis concentrates solely on the direct connections between the Wagner Group and the Russian state. Hence, questions of oligarchic interests occasionally overlapping with Russian state priorities, which may direct Wagner’s operations in various parts of the world, are outside the focus of the present study.
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Ukraine believes depleted Russian troops are being rotated-out | 7NEWS
Mar 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9b9rr-jLB8
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Did Soviet soldiers really shoot their own soldiers in the back if they retreated?
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/66p5uw/did_soviet_soldiers_really_shoot_their_own/
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Barrier troops
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrier_troops#Barrier_troops_in_the_Red_Army
Barrier troops, blocking units, or anti-retreat forces are military units that are located in the rear or on the front line (behind the main forces) to maintain military discipline, prevent the flight of servicemen from the battlefield, capture spies, saboteurs and deserters, and return troops who flee from the battlefield or lag behind their units.
In the Red Army
In the Red Army of the RSFSR and the Soviet Union the concept of barrier troops first arose in August 1918 with the formation of the заградительные отряды (zagraditelnye otriady), translated as “blocking troops” or “anti-retreat detachments” (Russian: заградотряды, заградительные отряды, отряды заграждения). The barrier troops comprised personnel drawn from Cheka punitive detachments or from regular Red Army infantry regiments.
The first use of the barrier troops by the Red Army occurred in the late summer and fall of 1918 in the Eastern front during the Russian Civil War, when People’s Commissar of Military and Naval Affairs (War Commissar) Leon Trotsky of the Communist Bolshevik government authorized Mikhail Tukhachevsky, the commander of the 1st Army, to station blocking detachments behind unreliable Red Army infantry regiments in the 1st Red Army, with orders to shoot if front-line troops either deserted or retreated without permission.
In December 1918 Trotsky ordered that detachments of additional barrier troops be raised for attachment to each infantry formation in the Red Army. On December 18 he cabled:
“How do things stand with the blocking units? As far as I am aware they have not been included in our establishment and it appears they have no personnel. It is absolutely essential that we have at least an embryonic network of blocking units and that we work out a procedure for bringing them up to strength and deploying them.”
The barrier troops were also used to enforce Bolshevik control over food supplies in areas controlled by the Red Army, a role which soon earned them the hatred of the Russian civilian population.
The concept was re-introduced on a large scale during the Second World War. On June 27, 1941, in response to reports of unit disintegration in battle and desertion from the ranks in the Soviet Red Army, the 3rd Department (military counterintelligence of Soviet Army) of the USSR’s People’s Commissariat of Defense of the USSR [ru] (NKO) issued a directive establishing mobile barrier forces composed of NKVD personnel to operate on roads, railways, forests, etc. for the purpose of catching “deserters and suspicious persons”. With the continued deterioration of the military situation in the face of the German offensive of 1941, NKVD detachments acquired a new mission: to prevent the unauthorized withdrawal of Red Army forces from the battle line. The first troops of this kind were formed in the Bryansk Front on September 5, 1941.
On September 12, 1941 Joseph Stalin issued the Stavka Directive No. 1919 (Директива Ставки ВГК №001919) concerning the creation of barrier troops in rifle divisions of the Southwestern Front, to suppress panic retreats. Each Red Army division was to have an anti-retreat detachment equipped with transport totaling one company for each regiment. Their primary goal was to maintain strict military discipline and to prevent disintegration of the front line by any means. These barrier troops were usually formed from ordinary military units and placed under NKVD command.
In 1942, after Stavka Directive No. 227 (Директива Ставки ВГК №227) issued on 28 July 1942, set up penal battalions, anti-retreat detachments were used to prevent withdrawal or desertion by penal units as well. Penal military unit personnel were always rearguarded by NKVD anti-retreat detachments, and not by regular Red Army infantry forces. As per Order No. 227, each Army should have had 3–5 barrier squads of up to 200 persons each.
A report to the Commissar General of State Security (NKVD chief) Lavrentiy Beria on October 10, 1941, noted that since the beginning of the war, NKVD anti-retreat troops had detained a total of 657,364 retreating, spies, traitors, instigators and deserting personnel, of which 25,878 were arrested (of which 10,201 were sentenced to death by court martial and the rest were returned to active duty).
At times, barrier troops were involved in battle operations along with regular soldiers, as noted by Aleksandr Vasilevsky in his directive N 157338 from October 1, 1942.
Order No. 227 also stipulated the capture or shooting of “cowards” and fleeing panicked troops at the rear the blocking detachments, who in the first three months shot 1,000 penal troops and sent 24,993 to penal battalions.[10] By October 1942 the idea of regular blocking detachments was quietly dropped, and on 29 October 1944 Stalin officially ordered the disbanding of the units.
Russian-Ukrainian war
It has been claimed that the Russian army uses Chechens detachments as barrier troops, executing deserters seeking to leave the combat zone.
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Shtrafbat
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shtrafbat
Shtrafbats were Soviet penal battalions that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II.
The shtrafbats were greatly increased in number by Joseph Stalin in July 1942 via Order No. 227. Order No. 227 was a desperate effort to re-instill discipline after the panicked routs of the first year of combat with Germany. The order—popularized as the “Not one step back!” (Ни шагу назад!, Ni shagu nazad!) Order—introduced severe punishments, including summary execution, for unauthorized retreats.
In his order, Stalin also mentioned Hitler’s successful use of penal battalions (known as Strafbataillon) as a means to ensure obedience among regular Wehrmacht units.
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Russian ‘execution squads’ hunting demoralized deserters, defectors
Mar 23, 2022
https://torontosun.com/news/world/russian-execution-squads-hunting-demoralized-deserters-defectors
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Putin resorts to Stalinist repression as he orders ‘execution squads’ to ‘kill Russian deserters’
March 12, 2022
https://londonlovesbusiness.com/putin-resorts-to-stalinist-repression-as-he-orders-execution-squads-to-kill-russian-deserters/
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Stalin’s War Against His Own Troops
http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v14/Teplyakov.html
The Tragic Fate of Soviet Prisoners of War in German Captivity
During the war, the Germans made repeated attempts through neutral countries and the International Committee of the Red Cross to reach mutual agreement on the treatment of prisoners by Germany and the USSR. As British historian Robert Conquest explains in his book Stalin: Breaker of Nations, the Soviets adamantly refused to cooperate…
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Ukraine, Russia Exchange Prisoners For First Time Since Invasion, Ukrainian Military Officer Says
March 01, 2022
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-prisoner-swap-russia/31730584.html
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‘Shot by our own people’ Captured Russian soldiers fear being killed on return to homeland
Mar 11, 2022
CAPTURED Russian troops fear they will be killed by the country’s own firing squads if they return home.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1579366/russia-news-captured-troops-killed-shot-ukraine-invasion-update
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Russia leaves its own behind
March 22, 2022
Russia has deployed thousands of inexperienced and ill-equipped soldiers into the war against Ukraine. Captured Russian soldiers are waiting to die or be jailed at home. The occupiers are carefully burning the bodies of their dead soldiers in mobile crematoria, which they wisely took to hide the number of losses in the war, which they refer to as “a special operation” or “special mission” at times.
https://ukrainer.net/russia-leaves-its-own/
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Putin leaves 10,000 soldiers stranded & understanding the cyber war | Ukraine: The Latest | Podcast
Aug 16, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLi1J5qSlxk
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Russia’s callousness towards its own soldiers is undermining its combat power
4 Mar 2022
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/04/russias-callousness-towards-its-own-soldiers-is-undermining-its-combat-power
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Ukrainian ambassador says Russian platoon surrendered to Ukrainian forces
February 24, 2022
https://news.yahoo.com/ukrainian-ambassador-says-russian-platoon-201138508.html
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Captured soldiers fear death by Russian firing squad
Mar 11, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ao5s9To2O8
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U.N. Urges Investigation Into Videos of Alleged POW Abuse by Russia and Ukraine
March 29, 2022
A top United Nations human rights official said “any ill treatment” of prisoners of war must stop immediately
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/u-n-urges-investigation-into-videos-of-alleged-pow-abuse-by-russia-and-ukraine/3620903/
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Gulag
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulag
The Gulag, “chief administration of the camps”) was the government agency in charge of the Soviet network of forced labor camps set up by order of Vladimir Lenin, reaching its peak during Joseph Stalin’s rule from the 1930s to the early 1950s. English-language speakers also use the word gulag to refer to all forced-labor camps that existed in the Soviet Union, including camps that existed in the post-Lenin era.
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Top Russian military figures suddenly vanish from public eye
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM1DbSfT2Ro
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Captured Russian troops turn on Putin
Mar 20, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2KazM_qkvg
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Captured Russian Soldier Says They Are Demoralized: ‘We Do Not Want This War’
2/28/22
https://www.newsweek.com/captured-russian-soldier-demoralized-war-troops-ukraine-russia-invasion-1683077
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Ukraine Invites Mothers of Prisoners of War to Pick Them Up
Mar 3, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r37jds7hGBY
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Joy Reid: Putin Is Being Humiliated On The Battlefield In Ukraine
Mar 23, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxRK9f-dKFE
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‘Putin Is Extremely Unhappy With The Performance Of His Military’: Gen. Breedlove
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUNr5TvkJqo
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‘Could be a big problem for you’: Security analyst’s warning to Putin
Mar 27, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyXM4A1Zse4
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Huge blow to Russian forces in Ukraine
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBoxMzL_kxw
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Russians experience heavy losses in Ukraine
Mar 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1rrKyIKifU
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Losing? Putin’s Army Has Higher Death Toll In Ukraine Than U.S. Across 20 Years In Middle East
Mar 17, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhrduL7efLw
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Russia claims ‘first stage’ of Ukraine war is a success | DW News
Mar 26, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9TBvq_ZqBc
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Russian forces CAPTURED Ukranian city
March 27, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaRNLr4Zr18
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Russia: We hit 36 Ukrainian military installations and downed 19 drones
28/03/2022
https://thenewsglory.com/russia-we-hit-36-ukrainian-military-installations-and-downed-19-drones/
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Civilian deaths mount ahead of Russia-Ukraine talks
Mar 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRdSDEn8h6E
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Will Vladimir Putin be removed from power? | 7NEWS
Mar 23, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr0OJvcT71w
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Effectiveness Of Ukraine’s Drones Against Russian Forces Following Successful Attack Overnight
Mar 15, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkys_3AdNNk
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Before-and-after photos capture devastation in Ukraine from Russian strikes
March 3, 2022
https://nypost.com/2022/03/03/before-and-after-photos-show-devastation-in-ukraine-from-russian-strikes/
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Video shows bomb strike on Russian forces in forest
Mar 16, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyX7GKDDuJg
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Clever Tactics By Ukrainian Forces Stymie Russian Military Despite Power Imbalance
Mar 16, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9saWmdjpNmE
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Ukrainian forces use drones to drop explosives on Russian targets
Apr 29, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO8nSNtGRYA
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Ukraine War: Dramatic drone footage shows Russian convoy ‘ambush’
Mar 10, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcYOjbyttvM
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Gen. McCaffrey: Ukraine Has Access To U.S. Anti-Tank Missiles To Help Ward Off Russian Attack
Feb 26, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYt9gqzwu74
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Another Russian convoy is ambushed by brave Ukrainians using chillingly lethal anti-tank missiles
Mar 13, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKCwRVfVV3c
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Ukrainian Troops Knock Out Russian Tigr-M Convoy In Kharkiv
Feb 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdwKoxtvKE0
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Ukrainians ambush and blow up Russian tanks with laser-guided missiles
Mar 18, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ttbLRjxwj4
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Ukrainian troops blow up and destroy Russian Z tank
Mar 14, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ4Auwi7_FA
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Footage shows Ukrainian forces blasting Russian Z-tank as troops ambushed in Mariupol
Mar 20, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVOq5SuUeZA
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Russian forces jump out of ‘Z’ tank before it’s destroyed by Ukraine forces in Mariupol
Mar 17, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fngPVC4V4Gk
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Ukrainian Azov regiment strike a Russian tank in Mariupol
Mar 14, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lqsYE8IZ3g
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Ukrainian Azov forces blew up the Russian command base!
Mar 26, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yCRQ9neFto
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Ukraine War – Ukrainian Soldiers Knock Out Russian Tank With NLAW In Point Blank Ambush
Mar 11, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfRcmJTAouM
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Ukraine Armed Forces are Using NLAW to Destroy Russian Tanks | Russian Nightmare
Mar 6, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW5eojDoMAw
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Ukraine’s Airborne Brigade destroys Russian tanks with launchers
Mar 15, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD8A18rM9oU
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Mapping Russia’s Most Costly Tank Losses | Ukraine War
Mar 6, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adE5GlQ2Ly4
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The failure of Russia’s tanks
Mar 20, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVu5Kodf5gA
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Ukraine crisis: Inside Ukraine’s top secret tank base
Jan 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49yzRjqVSGM
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Ukrainian drone hits Russian missile launchers north of Kyiv
Feb 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0CttOf2KZc
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(NSFW) Ukrainian Quadcopter Makes Direct Hit On Russian Proxy With Mini Bomb (FNN 13)
Dec 8, 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3KkEMxA4EQ
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Ukrainian Drone Dropping Grenades RKG-1600 Destroys Russian Tank and Self-Propelled Howitzer
Mar 26, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d0I2-0a4hY
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Russian soldiers’ nightmare – VOG grenades with stabilizing fins | Military Mind | TVP World
Sep 29, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSohQReLqI8
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Ukrainians are dropping grenades from civilian drones
Mar 18, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D0Zu4dDXjo
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Drones in Ukraine – lessons for other countries
Mar 23, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1_t2VisYnY
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Bayraktar TB2 Drones Destroys Hundreds Russian Armored Vehicles In Near Ukraine Capital Kyiv
Mar 15, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUnJMgE1I6E
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Turkish UAVs Bayraktar TB2 deployed to Ukraine
Mar 2, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAWUZzkqwGQ
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8 Russian 122mm howitzers were struck after UAV found them.
Mar 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ6wa0_75ng
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Russian tanks destroyed by JOINT ATTACK by Ukrainian artillery and Ukrainian Volunteer Corps
Mar 22, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KygKCk0fgmQ
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Ukraine War – Ukrainian Helmet Cam Close Range RPG Ambush On Russian Ural Truck
Mar 16, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I09fBeM_g0E
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Ukraine War – Ukrainian Special Police Unit Destroys Russian Tanks With RPG-7 & Artillery Support
Mar 6, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYogJLQ5YAc
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Ukraine War – Ukrainian Special Forces GoPro Helmet Cam Combat • RPG Attack On Russian T-72 Tank
Feb 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiOjpPJZnDM
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The Truth About Russia’s T-14 Armata Tank
Dec 17, 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2q10xGER5Y
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Russian tanks unable to withstand British-made anti-tank missiles: (NLAW)
Mar 11, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFUwa10gXlo
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Recognize AT4: The anti-tank weapons Hitting Russian Armored Vehicle In Ukraine
Mar 21, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFL5kyeWOHg
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Stop using the AT-4 Rocket Launcher against tanks
Feb 20, 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo9wvHy23VE
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Ukraine Has Destroyed Nearly 10% of Russia’s Tanks, Making Experts Ask: Are Tanks Over?
23 Mar 2022
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/03/23/ukraine-has-destroyed-nearly-10-of-russias-tanks-making-experts-ask-are-tanks-over.html
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End of the Tank? – ATGMs and shoulder fired anti-tank weapons in Ukraine
Mar 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUyAPQEb01Q
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“Outgunned” – Artillery & The War in Ukraine – Developments, lessons, & logistics
Jul 10, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMEpxX7rS5I
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Hundreds of Russian helicopters and tanks have been destroyed: Zelensky
15th Mar, 2022
https://www.bolnews.com/international/2022/03/hundreds-of-russian-helicopters-and-tanks-have-been-destroyed-zelensky/
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Ukraine’s race to prevent Russia from dominating skies
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-QiQVr6R0Y
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Another Russian Mi-24 Combat Helicopter Shot Down by Ukraine Armed Forces
Mar 11, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEhIR9xDwKI
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What shot down the Hind? A video analysis.
Mar 5, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPTPlqquWAQ
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Ukraine War: Dozens of soldiers feared dead after attack on Mykolaiv barracks
Mar 19, 202
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_FbbZVSygE
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Ukrainian forces fire at ‘Russian tanks’ from Mykolaiv airport
Mar 8, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn9_SfoQjXA
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Explosions hit Ukraine’s major airports as Russia begins invasion
Feb 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FL31reaomE
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Russia hits Ukraine fuel supplies, airfields in new attacks
Feb. 26, 2022
https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Street-fighting-begins-in-Kyiv-people-urged-to-16949180.php
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Huge fireball explosion at Ukraine airbase as Russia hits key military sites
Feb 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3rBVnfv67k
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Kherson Airport: Videos emerge showing aftermath of Ukrainian attack
Mar 17, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KZ4Fnl4yY4
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Ukraine War – Drone Shows Intense Close Combat Between Ukrainian & Russian Troops In Kherson
Mar 5, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1dXAs2ybIU
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CNN captures intense firefight at airport outside of Kyiv
Feb 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_3L0z1lgAE
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Russia refuses to hand back more than 500 leased airplanes | DW News
Mar 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzG-q8-zWuc
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Ukrainian air force blew up the airport used by Russians with airstrike!
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0k0Fp84UV8
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Fuel tanks burn after explosions near Vasylkiv, Ukraine
Feb 26, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdC2evOwo8I
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Ukraine invasion – Huge fireball gas station explosion in Kherson, Ukraine
Feb 26, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsU_nwxuAZk
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Satellite Pics Show Russian Artillery Damage, 40-Metre Crater In Ukraine
June 08, 2022
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/satellite-images-show-russian-artillery-damage-40-metre-crater-in-ukraine-3047508
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Doctors, crater disprove Russia’s hospital airstrike misinfo
April 8, 2022
Accounts by three doctors at a Ukrainian maternity hospital hit by an airstrike and an analysis of the crater disprove Russian misinformation about the March 9 attack that killed a pregnant woman and her unborn child
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/doctors-crater-disprove-ukraine-hospital-airstrike-misinfo-83955660
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US officials say Ukraine behind car bomb assassination of Putin ally’s daughter: report
October 5, 2022
https://nypost.com/2022/10/05/us-intel-suspects-ukraine-of-involvement-in-russia-car-bomb-attack/
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Satellite images show Ukraine peppered with artillery strike craters
June 08, 2022
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/satellite-images-show-ukraine-peppered-with-artillery-strike-craters
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Russia Ukraine War: How a football field turns into a giant crater after a missile strike
June 2022
https://www.msn.com/en-in/sports/other/russia-ukraine-war-how-a-football-field-turns-into-a-giant-crater-after-a-missile-strike/ar-AAZ0zpl
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Satellite Pics: Bomb Crater In Olympic Stadium, Destroyed Homes In Ukraine
March 17, 2022
Ukraine War: The UN’s top court, International Court of Justice (ICJ), on Wednesday ordered Russia to suspend its invasion of Ukraine, saying it was “profoundly concerned” by Moscow’s use of force.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/satellite-pics-bomb-crater-in-olympic-stadium-destroyed-homes-in-ukraine-2827919
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Shell craters in fields, explosions and destruction: Maxar showed pictures from the east, Yermak commented
8 June 2022
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/06/8/7351224/
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Ukrainian Sappers Clear Fields Of Deadly Unexploded Shells And Mines
April 25, 2022
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-sappers-clear-fields-of-deadly-unexploded-shells-and-mines/31820359.html
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New Satellite Pics Show Signs Of Intense Fight Around Ukraine’s Capital Kyiv
Mar 09, 2022
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/ukraine-war-latest-update-bomb-craters-armoured-vehicles-satellite-pics-show-signs-of-intense-fight-around-ukraines-capital-kyiv-2812214
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Unexploded Munitions Removed From Bucha By Ukraine’s Emergency Service
Apr 6, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXPSSXjZALo
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It could take decades to map and fully remove unexploded munitions in Ukraine
March 2022
https://www.jmu.edu/news/cisr/2022/03/23-ukr.shtml
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Why the threat of explosives will persist long after the war in Ukraine ends
Apr 4, 2022
Unexploded ordinance is a multigenerational burden—a threat in Ukraine and other nations.
https://www.popsci.com/technology/ukraine-unexploded-ordinance/
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Ukrainian Women Are Clearing Unexploded Bombs From Ukraine
Aug 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHWTI1YfOtE
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Huge 500kg ‘FAB’ Russian bomb leaves giant crater near Ukraine homes
2 Mar 2022
The high-explosive bomb, named an FAB-500, fell near a residential area of Kharkiv – leaving a huge funnel shaped crater un the ground, days after it was reported Russia had used deadly vacuum bombs
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/huge-500kg-fab-russian-bomb-26365548
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Russian warship that attacked Snake Island has been destroyed | ABC7
Mar 9, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRIpqb37ePU
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Snake Island and Ukraine’s Eurovision commentator | Ukraine: The Latest | Podcast
May 14, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGgRrYnVch4
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Video shows explosion after fighter jet shot down, official says
Feb 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oeHSEekVtE
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Russia releases dramatic cockpit video of helicopter attack on Ukrainian air defence positions
Mar 18, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojA1dsC4TMM
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Moment ‘Russian’ helicopter is shot down over reservoir near Kyiv
Mar 1, 2022
End of the Helicopter? (no) – MANPADS and helicopter losses in Ukraine
Jul 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnoKpXvj41A
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Russian Missiles, Air Strikes Hit Ukrainian Targets
Feb 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1TQ5_e27L4
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Moment Russian high-precision strike ‘destroys Ukrainian artillery battery’
Mar 17, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSUGkcUiOkA
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Russia widens attack on Ukraine with airstrikes | DW News
Mar 11, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doI0COXbsIs
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Russian air assault destroys Ukraine tanks and armoured vehicles; Watch how it happened
Mar 9, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMwOg0JMS3s
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Nuclear Bullets: Russia Is Arming Its Tanks with ‘Uranium’ Shells
March 12, 2021
There are several international organizations campaigning to ban depleted uranium shells. Whether the Russian government will heed them is another matter.
Here’s What You Need to Remember: “Taken into the body via metal fragments or dust-like particles, depleted uranium may pose a long-term health hazard to personnel if the amount is large. However, the amount which remains in the body depends on a number of factors, including the amount inhaled or ingested, the particle size and the ability of the particles to dissolve in body fluids.”
Russia is arming its tanks with controversial depleted uranium shells.
While depleted uranium, or DU, is extremely dense and can punch through thick tank armor, many believe that these shells release small doses of radiation, like miniature neutron bombs. The U.S. has used DU shells in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
A Russian Defense Ministry bulletin said Russian T-80BV tanks would be armed with these powerful munitions, according to Russia’s TASS news agency. The bulletin noted that “the T-80BVM (the letter M stands for ‘modernized’) features ‘the improved weapons stabilizer and the loading mechanism for the 3BM59 Svinets-1 and 3BM60 Svinets-2 munitions.’”
The Svinets-1 has a tungsten carbide core, while the Svinets-2 uses depleted uranium. according to the Below the Ring armor site, published by a pair of Dutch defense experts. A 2016 post speculated that Russia might have been producing these special rounds for several years as replacements for existing tank ammunition.
The shells “utilize an aluminum sabot with three points of contact – this is rather unique, as most other types of APFSDS sabot use only two points of contacts,” Below the Ring said. “If and how this affects accuracy and barrel wear is currently not known.”
The Svinets-2 is not the first Russian shell to use depleted uranium. The 3BM-32 Vant, designed for Soviet 125-millimeter tank cannon, also contained a DU core. But the new rounds are longer.
“Compared to the 3BM-32 Vant APFSDS with a 380-mm-long [14.7-inch] DU penetrator, the two types of new ammunition have an approximately 79 to 84 percent longer projectile, which should lead to a significant increase in penetration power,” Below the Ring estimated.
The problem is that older Russian tank ammunition has difficult piercing advanced tank armor such as that found on the U.S. M-1 Abrams or Israeli Merkava. “The 3BM-42 Mango relies on an outdated pentrator design, using two relatively short tungsten rods inside a steel body,” according to Below the Ring. “…Steel penetrates armor less efficiently than a high-density heavy metal alloy.”
Thus, the appeal of DU shells as tank killers (you can find a concise scientific explanation of depleted uranium ammunition here). There are 120-millimeter DU shells for the M-1 Abrams and 30-millimeter shell for the A-10 Warthog. Ironically, the Abrams tank uses depleted uranium in its armor plating to stop anti-tank shells.
The U.S. military says depleted uranium ammunition is safe, for the most part. “When fired, or after ‘cooking off’ in fires or explosions, the exposed depleted uranium rod poses an extremely low radiological threat as long as it remains outside the body,” says a U.S. Air Force fact sheet. “Taken into the body via metal fragments or dust-like particles, depleted uranium may pose a long-term health hazard to personnel if the amount is large. However, the amount which remains in the body depends on a number of factors, including the amount inhaled or ingested, the particle size and the ability of the particles to dissolve in body fluids.”
However, even the Veterans Administration acknowledges that depleted uranium poses health risks to soldiers, such as those who fought in Operation Desert Storm, where DU rounds were used to destroy Iraqi tanks. There are also complaints that depleted uranium contaminates the environment, such as in Iraq. The Pentagon promised that it wouldn’t use DU ammunition in Syria, though it later admitted that it fired thousands of rounds in 2015.
There are several international organizations campaigning to ban depleted uranium shells. Whether the Russian government will heed them is another matter.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/nuclear-bullets-russia-arming-its-tanks-uranium-shells-180099
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Why deadly depleted uranium is the tank buster’s weapon of choice
8 May 2000
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/may/18/armstrade.kosovo
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NATO Bombed Serbia With Depleted Uranium But Now Claim Russian “Atrocities”!!
March 7, 2022
https://www.helleniscope.com/2022/03/07/nato-bombed-serbia-with-depleted-uranium-but-now-claim-russian-atrocities/
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THE USE OF DEPLETED URANIUM (DU) BULLETS AND BOMBS BY NATO FORCES IN YUGOSLAVIA
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The Fallout of the Kosovo Expulsion (1999)
Dec 8, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpbeMfiK2jc
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NATO & Russia Nearly Went to War – Kosovo 1999
Mar 30, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvETrbNELe8
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Like America, Russian Tanks are Now Shooting Depleted Uranium Bullets
December 25, 2020
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/america-russian-tanks-are-now-shooting-depleted-uranium-bullets-175219
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Russia to open new plant for processing depleted uranium
April 16, 2021
An electrochemical plant run by Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, has announced the construction of a new uranium hexafluoride handling unit, doubling the enterprise’s capacity to process the controversial substance, which many have called radioactive waste.
https://bellona.org/news/nuclear-issues/2021-04-russia-to-open-new-plant-for-processing-depleted-uranium
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Ukraine captured a batch of Russia’s missiles and fired them back at its troops, report says
March 2022
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukraine-captured-a-batch-of-russia-s-missiles-and-fired-them-back-at-its-troops-report-says/ar-AAVk9rb
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300 Shots Fired, 280 Russian Tanks Gone: US Missiles In Ukrainian Hands
March 04, 2022
Javelin missiles in Ukraine: At least 280 Russian armoured vehicles have been destroyed with the American Javelin missile, out of 300 shots fired, according to a report
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/how-small-ukraine-force-is-killing-russian-tanks-with-us-javelin-missiles-2803289
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Do the Javelin tank missiles, that are being sent to the Ukraine, use depleted uranium?
2022
https://www.quora.com/Do-the-Javelin-tank-missiles-that-are-being-sent-to-the-Ukraine-use-depleted-uranium?share=1
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US Javelins breaks record in Ukraine against Russian Tanks!
Mar 22, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5J71EZq70I
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See how the Ukrainian army is defending itself against Russia
Mar 17, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuDi720z2bc
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Is Germany blocking Ukraine from defending itself against Russia? | DW News
Jan 23, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X3pKVOFqZc
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Russia’s latest warning to the West: Russia to target Western arms supply? | World English News
Mar 12, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QW7Nfg4d9I
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Javelin: Why Russia Fears this Missile Built to Kill Tanks
Mar 3, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmp_0S9rT3U
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Russian tanks are dying at the hands of another anti-armor system you may have yet to hear of (Stugna-P)
Mar 29, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4ofCl-0uMo
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Why Russia is afraid of Ukraine’s Neptune missiles
09.06.2020
https://www.unian.info/society/why-russia-is-afraid-of-ukraine-s-neptune-missiles-11028884.html
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Switchblade: America’s Suicide Drone Used to Destroy Russian Tank
Mar 27, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehm-NRdjMPY
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What to know about the 100 US ‘Switchblade’ drones heading to Ukraine
March 16, 2022
Unlike larger drones, it’s not meant to return after its mission.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/100-us-switchblade-drones-heading-ukraine/story?id=83490886
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Fact check: Does Russia use butterfly mines in Ukraine?
March 15, 2022
https://www.thebharatexpressnews.com/fact-check-does-russia-use-butterfly-mines-in-ukraine-tben-15-03-2022/
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The WEIRD Guns Being Used In Ukraine Right Now #2
Mar 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYMgYpavdB4
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Why You Never Mess With Elite Special Forces
Jan 24, 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oWDzQar_oY
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‘Ukraine’s guerrilla warfare could topple Putin’ – Mark Galeotti on Russia’s invasion
Feb 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMThsehOqQ4
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How They Fight! The Russian Battalion Tactical Group. Tactics, Equipment And Effectiveness
Mar 22, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAU5cgBGcUk
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Ukraine War new footage
Mar-23-2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=9lqfub
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Photos: What Russia’s invasion of Ukraine looks like on the ground
Feb 24, 2022
A local citizen shows the debris of a privet house in the aftermath of Russian shelling outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Russia on Thursday unleashed a barrage of air and missile strikes on Ukrainian facilities across the country.
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Haunting images from war-torn Ukraine
March 11, 2022
https://www.indiatoday.in/image-of-the-day/video/haunting-images-from-war-torn-ukraine-1924424-2022-03-11
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In pictures: Bodies and tanks mark path as Russia moves troops from Kyiv
Apr 4, 2022
A soldier takes a photograph of his comrade as he poses beside a destroyed Russian tank and armored vehicles, in Bucha, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, April 2.
Cars burnt out from the shelling are seen on the destroyed bridge in Irpin town, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine.
A local resident walks past a building damaged by shelling in the town of Makariv, in Kyiv region, Ukraine.
A dog lays next to the body of a civilian, who according to residents was killed by Russian soldiers, in Bucha, in Kyiv, region, Ukraine, April 3.
A body of a civilian, who according to residents was killed by Russian army soldiers, lies near burned cars on the highway, in the village of Myla, in Kyiv region, Ukraine April 2.
A serviceman uses his mobile phone to film a destroyed Russian tank and armored vehicles, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, April 2.
A body is seen at a gas station on a highway 20km from Kyiv, Ukraine, April 2.
A Ukrainian soldier walks past the body of a civilian, who according to residents was killed by Russian army soldiers, as it lies on the street, in Bucha, in Kyiv region, April 2.
A body of a civilian, who according to residents was killed by Russian army soldiers, in the village of Myla, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, April 2.
Civilians cross a destroyed bridge in the village of Kozarovychi, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, April 2.
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Destroyed Russian military vehicles in Ukraine
Mar 8, 2022
Remains of the Russian fighting aircraft are seen at a residential area in Chernihiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released March 5, 2022.
Destroyed Russian military vehicles are seen on a street in the settlement of Borodyanka in the Kyiv region, Ukraine March 3, 2022.
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AP PHOTOS on Day 36: Russian tanks destroyed outside Kyiv
March 31, 2022
Destroyed Russian armored vehicles sit on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 31, 2022.
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Photos: Horrific findings after Russian retreat on Day 39
April 2022
Soldiers walk amid destroyed Russian tanks in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 3, 2022.
People watch as smoke rises in the air after shelling in Odesa, Ukraine, Sunday, April 3, 2022.
Bodies lie in a mass grave in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 3, 2022. Ukrainian troops are finding brutalized bodies and widespread destruction in the suburbs of Kyiv, sparking new calls for a war crimes investigation and sanctions against Russia.
The bodies of village mayor Olga Sukhenko, her husband and son and that of a man believed to be a Ukrainian serviceman, who was not yet identified, lie in pit in the village of Motyzhyn, Ukraine, Sunday, April 3, 2022. The pit is situated behind a plot of land with three houses where Russian forces had slept and were entrenched.
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CHARRED WRECKS: Incredible photos show smouldering Russian convoy blitzed to ashes by Ukrainian resistance as Putin’s Kyiv siege stalls
Mar 2 2022
People look at the wreckages of Russian military vehicles in Bucha, close to the capital Kyiv
A destroyed armoured vehicle in the town of Bucha with Russian markings
A woman walks past a destroyed military vehicle
An armed man stands by the remains of a Russian military vehicle in Bucha
A dog sits among the gutted remains of Russian military vehicles in Bucha, near Kyiv
Kharkiv’s main police station partially collapses after being hit in the siege
A soldier rescues a cat from a building hit by Russian munitions
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Ukraine: Bodies, destroyed tanks line streets as Russia retreats
3 Apr 2022
As Russian forces pull back from Ukraine’s capital region, retreating troops leave behind a trail of bodies and mines.
A boy looks at a destroyed Russian tank in Bucha.
Destroyed Russian armoured vehicles in the city of Bucha.
Local residents ride bicycles past flattened civilian cars in the town of Bucha.
A volunteer inspects a corpse in the town of Bucha.
A man and a child on a bicycle come across the body of a civilian lying on the street.
Ukrainian soldiers walk next to destroyed Russian armoured vehicles.
A Ukrainian soldier looks at a damaged bridge in Bucha.
Anti-tank mines are spread out on a bridge in Bucha.
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Horrifying Photos Show Immediate Effects Of Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine
Feb. 24, 2022
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ukraine-russia-bombings-photos_n_6217953de4b0f800ce1d42e7
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BALL OF FLAMES: Russian fighter blown out of sky as Ukraine claims 285 tanks & 88 jets destroyed in humiliation for embattled Putin
7 Mar 2022
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17865976/russian-jet-blown-out-sky-ukraine-putins-military-humiliated/
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FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Russian Tanks Being Destroyed?
03/15/2022
Verdict: False
The video shows footage from the video game Arma 3. It is not related to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
https://checkyourfact.com/2022/03/15/fact-check-russian-tanks-destroyed-video/
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Ukraine attack and destroy Russian weapons depot inside Russian territory
March 2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=7m9llw
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Combat footage, convy, AT missiles, Drone strike
Mar-24-2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=4jalz8
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Column of destroyed military techniques near Kharkiv
Mar-15-2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=tlfltc
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Guided shell ‘Krasnopol’
Mar-17-2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=909mgu
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Javelin missile strikes a tank from reportedly 2.3 km away
April 2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=94ri45
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Drone footage of armored vehicle hit by a Javelin
Mar-22-2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=1mns29
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Driver carefully drive along a dilapidated bridge
April 3rd, 2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=gpeuti
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Car driving through destroyed bridge
Mar-8-2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=r57qfn
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Removing land mines from the road
April 2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=t7xudm
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Missile strike in Kramatorsk
Mar-18-2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=56rav0
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Explosion in Kyiv
Mar-20-2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=qbou7z
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Heavy Urban Combat In Mariupol
Mar-13-2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=ru9802
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POV footage shows intense close combat
Mar-9-2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=qbzngl
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Russian army robs a village shop
Mar-6-2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=r98b9f
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Civilians inside Mariupol ask for bread and water
March 2022
https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=33kxot
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Bodies of ‘executed people’ strewn across street in Bucha as Ukraine accuses Russia of war crimes
April 3, 2022
Bodies lie in a street in Bucha on Saturday. A portion of this photo has been blurred to protect the victim’s identity.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/03/europe/bucha-ukraine-civilian-deaths-intl/index.html
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Evidence of civilian massacres in Ukraine, ‘torture chamber’ and a mass grave as Russian forces continue invasion
Apr. 05, 2022
Warning: Some photos below contain images of war violence and the dead.
Ukraine’s president planned to address the U.N.’s most powerful body on Tuesday after even more grisly evidence emerged of civilian massacres in areas that Russian forces recently left. Western nations expelled dozens more of Moscow’s diplomats and weighed further sanctions as they expressed their revulsion at what they say are war crimes.
Parts of a destroyed aircraft at the Antonov airport in Hostomel, outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 4, 2022.
Ira Gavriluk holds her cat as she walks next to the bodies of her husband, brother, and another man, who were killed outside her home in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 4, 2022. Russia is facing a fresh wave of condemnation after evidence emerged of what appeared to be deliberate killings of civilians in Ukraine.
People stay in a yard as smoke rises in the air in the background after shelling in Odessa, Ukraine, Sunday, April 3, 2022.
Journalists stand by a mass grave in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 4, 2022. Russia is facing a fresh wave of condemnation after evidence emerged of what appeared to be deliberate killings of civilians in Ukraine.
A dog wanders around destroyed houses and Russian military vehicles, in Bucha close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 4, 2022. Russia is facing a fresh wave of condemnation after evidence emerged of what appeared to be deliberate killings of civilians in Ukraine
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War in Ukraine: Mass graves and bodies on streets found as Russian forces retreat from Kyiv
Apr 3, 2022
‘EU assists Ukraine in documenting war crimes’, says EU’s Josep Borrell
Ukrainian and European officials expressed outrage on Sunday at what they said were atrocities committed by Russian forces near Kyiv before they withdrew from the region to focus their attacks elsewhere.
The mayor of Bucha, a town 37km northwest of the capital, said on Saturday that 300 residents had been killed during a month-long occupation by the Russian army. Victims were seen by Reuters in a mass grave and still lying on the streets.
Ukraine said on Saturday its forces had retaken all areas around the capital, reclaiming complete control of the region for the first time since Russia launched its invasion on February 24th.
Russia has pulled back forces that had threatened Kyiv from the north to regroup for battles in eastern Ukraine. There was no Russian comment on the claim that the Kyiv region was entirely in Ukrainian hands and Reuters could not verify this.
Russia has previously denied targeting civilians and rejected allegations of war crimes in what it calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
A man drives a car past the rubble of a destroyed building in the eastern Ukraine city of Kharkiv.
Destroyed Russian military machinery in an area recaptured by the Ukrainian army in Kyiv.
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The horrors of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine are increasingly coming to light
April 4, 2022
A column of Russian armored vehicles litters a road in Bucha.
Many multistory buildings were destroyed in the town of Bordyanka, northwest of Kyiv.
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Russia-Ukraine crisis: Haunting images from the war zone
Feb 25, 2022
https://www.cnbctv18.com/photos/world/russia-ukraine-crisis-haunting-images-from-the-war-zone-as-common-man-suffers-amid-intense-conflict-12625042.htm
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Images of destruction from war-torn Ukraine; Ukraine puts up a strong resistance; more
February 28, 2022
https://www.indiatoday.in/programme/india-s-agenda/video/images-destruction-from-war-torn-ukraine-ukraine-puts-up-strong-resistance-1918854-2022-02-28
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Portraits of war: See how the attack on Ukraine has affected its people
Mar 14 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month upended the lives of millions.
More than 4.2 million people have been displaced since Moscow attacked.
Photos from the region show the toll the war has taken.
Ukrainian soldiers inspect the wreckage of a destroyed Russian armored column on the road in Bucha, a suburb north of Kyiv.
A woman carrying two shopping bags walks past a destroyed Russian army tank, not far from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on April 3, 2022.
A man walks on a street with several dead bodies on the ground a street in Bucha, northwest of Kyiv, as Ukraine says Russian forces are making a “rapid retreat” from northern areas around Kyiv and the city of Chernigiv, on April 2, 2022.
Pensioner Vladimir stands in front of his son’s house that was destroyed by shelling in a residential area in Chuhuiv, Ukraine outside Kharkiv as Russia’s attack on the country continues
Local residents sit on a bench near an apartment building destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine March 25, 2022.
A man and a woman walk through rubble on the premises of a shopping mall ruined as a result of a missile strike carried out by the Russian troops in the Podilskyi district of Kyiv, capital of Ukraine.
An Ukranian serviceman stands among damages in a residential area after shelling in Kyiv on March 18, 2022, as Russian troops try to encircle the Ukrainian capital as part of their slow-moving offensive.
People from the same family lie dead on the ground after the Russian army shelled the evacuation point of Irpin, on March 6, 2022, in Irpin, Ukraine.
President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 12, 2022.https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/14/russia-ukraine-war-see-photos-of-ukrainians-affected-by-invasion.html
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Putin accuses Ukraine of ‘numerous war crimes committed daily’
March 18, 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin accuses Kyiv of “war crimes” in a call with his French counterpart, saying that Moscow was doing “everything possible” to avoid civilian deaths in Ukraine.
“Attention was drawn to the numerous war crimes committed daily by the Ukrainian security forces,” the Kremlin says of the call between Putin and Emmanuel Macron, which lasted over an hour.
“In particular massive rocket and artillery attacks on the cities of Donbas,” the Kremlin adds, referring to Ukraine’s Russian-speaking east, part of which is controlled by pro-Moscow separatists.
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In Pictures: Children caught up in the Ukraine war
Mar 1, 2022
Suffering in Ukraine widespread as vulnerable are forced to take cover in underground shelters while other children, along with their families, flee the country as refugees.
https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/photos/in-pictures-children-caught-up-in-the-ukraine-war
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Children of war torn Ukraine
Mar 30, 2022
A woman with a child evacuates from a residential building damaged by shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 16.
https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/children-of-war-torn-ukraine-idUSRTS6O6KY
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More than half of Ukraine’s children have been displaced since the war began, according to UNICEF
Mar 24 2022
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/more-than-half-of-ukraine-s-children-have-been-displaced-since-the-war-began-according-to-unicef/ar-AAVsV0X
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Ukrainian and Russian soldiers face off at Belbek | Channel 4 News
Mar 4, 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIbGpSvtuGY
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Ukraine War special report: soldiers in Kharkiv take on the Russian army – BBC News
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nFZUaYwH5I
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The battle of Irpin: Meeting the Ukrainian resistance • FRANCE 24 English
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3o_1mVl7G4
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Ukraine resists Russia despite overwhelming odds | DW News
Mar 23, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzN7_i-Oq2I
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Russia Struggled to Capture a Ukrainian Town. Intercepted Radio Messages Show Why.
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOmYi96cU1M
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Why was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine such a miscalculation? | Ukraine latest
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JePpvYwuk3Q
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Ukraine reportedly battling Russian troops on the outskirts of Kyiv | DW News
Feb 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3ZwTbhTkQE
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Ukrainian fightback against Russia gains ground west of Kyiv – BBC News
Mar 23, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXBdW9YH4Ec
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The small town in Ukraine which saw off the Russian army – BBC News
Mar 22, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHpX6_B8ArE
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The Ukrainian army has liberated two villages
March 27, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWVNvwbEeLM
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Ukrainians recaptured Malynivka from Russian army!
Mar 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQTGii98Wys
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Engel: Ukraine Retakes Irpin From Russia, ‘The Suburb That Could’
Mar 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27t3rcmBiEM
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Ukrainian Armed Forces Liberate Town of Irpin in Kyiv Region from Russian Invaders
Mar 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSm2CuM-I6A
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Kherson Counter-Offensive Begins! Russian Invasion of Ukraine DOCUMENTARY
Sep 22, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hZoQ4xebGw
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ABC News Live: Ukrainians say they have taken back a village in Chernihiv region | ABC News
Mar 31, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2K6ctBW6mw
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Ukrainian counteroffensive. New Italian PM | World News | TVP World
Sep 26, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFdfu0HaL1o
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Kherson Counter-Offensive Begins! Russian Invasion of Ukraine DOCUMENTARY
Sep 22, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hZoQ4xebGw
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Ukraine pushes further into territory claimed by Putin
Oct 3, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kfn84F9_mU
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Ukraine advances in the south, Russian officials admit | DW News
Oct 3, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaT-4bI0-X8
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Another Humiliating defeat for Russia’s dictator | WORLD NEWS | TVP World
Oct 3, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkoYwHozwgQ
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If Ukraine continues to beat Russia Putin is doomed | Daniel Johnson interview
May 27, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMeuVdodfVw
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Russian Soldiers Are Being Evacuated From Chernobyl After Suffering Radiation Poisoning
31 March 2022
https://www.ladbible.com/news/russian-soldiers-evacuated-from-chernobyl-over-radiation-poisoning-20220331
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Russia Ukraine Conflict: Ukrainian counterattacks retake territory
Mar 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvX_xMGGcFU
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Ukrainian forces mount huge counteroffensive against Russia
Mar 27, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zEIFppIVIo
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Fierce Resistance In Ukraine Is Causing Russia To Rethink Its Strategy
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqSs2_ff7QI
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Kirby: Russian troops regrouping for redeployment
Mar 31, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQZ1UMkZ_jo
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Ukraine Faces Two Front Wars As Russia Continues To Batter Ukrainian Cities | Top Morning Updates
Mar 27, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nEpGcVsg-s
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Ukrainian forces strike back as Russia steps up siege of Mariupol l GMA
Mar 23, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRyw7Q5AQLQ
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Russia is pursuing hidden mobilization due to significant losses in the war against Ukraine
Mar 23, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqzLGs4Zo_g
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Mounting Deaths Make Russian Censorship Of Ukraine War Harder To Maintain
Mar 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNuBGslqbWA
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Russia puts ‘partial restriction’ on Facebook access
25-02-2022
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‘Military Brainwashing’: Russian State TV Pulls Out The Stops To Sell Kremlin’s Narrative On The War In Ukraine
March 29, 2022
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-war-tv-brainwashing/31776244.html
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Russia adds DW News to ‘foreign agents’ list | DW News
Mar 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwxB9mfS4SQ
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Piercing Russia’s digital Iron Curtain
Mar 27, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi_JepkH7ic
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Anti-war protests in Russia: Thousands arrested at rallies amid crackdown • FRANCE 24 English
Mar 22, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCmOJYaN1t4
____________________________Thousands Arrested in Russian Cities for Protesting Ukraine Invasion
February 28, 2022
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Russian soldiers ‘hunted down’ AP journalists in Mariupol
Mar 21, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYVwvrff0N0
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Russia Ukraine conflict: Armed volunteers resist Russian advance
Feb 26, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn6fhvHuD_U
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Gen. Petraeus On NATO’s ‘Big Response’ To Russia
Mar 23, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T9mTX9LNHo
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Ukraine already destroys almost 2,000 units of Russian equipment
Mar 21, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrsP9An1u4k
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Russian combat power drops below 90% as Ukrainians, frostbite stall Putin invasion: DOD
March 22, 2022
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/russian-combat-power-drops-below-90-percent-as-ukrainians-frostbite-stall-putin-invasion-dod
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Ukrainian forces on offensive, Russian combat capability falls below 90%: Pentagon update
March 22, 2022
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/ukrainian-forces-offensive-russian-combat-capability-falls-90/story?id=83608057
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Reported Deaths Of 5 Generals Is Evidence That Russia’s In Trouble, Warns Gen. David Petraeus
March 21, 2022
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/reported-deaths-5-generals-evidence-080112172.html
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Big blow to Putin: List of Russian generals lost in Ukraine released
March 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICleeRoCmJA
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Who was Anatoly Shterliz, 8th Russian General killed in Ukraine?
March 29, 2022
https://groundreport.in/who-was-anatoly-shterliz-8th-russian-general-killed-in-ukraine/
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Russian generals are getting killed at an extraordinary rate
March 27, 2022
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2022-03-27/russian-generals-dying-russia-ukraine-war-5491126.html
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Zelensky aide says 6 Russian generals, dozens of senior officers killed during invasion
20 March 2022
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/zelensky-aide-says-6-russian-generals-dozens-of-senior-officers-killed-during-invasion/
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Russian general killed with 7 soldiers from feared unit under Putin’s direct control
16 Mar 2022
Major General Oleg Mityaev, commander of Russia’s 150th motorised rifle division, was killed as he tried to storm Mariupol, making him the fourth Russian commander to die, Ukraine has said
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/russian-general-killed-trying-storm-26478770
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Agent Stalin Killed? Feared Russian Special Forces Fighter Killed in Mariupol
March 23, 2022
Captain Konstantin Druzhkov had served in Russia’s military intelligence and had been involved in fighting in the Donbas region since 2014.
https://www.ibtimes.sg/agent-stalin-killed-feared-russian-special-forces-fighter-killed-mariupol-63536?utm_source=Internal&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=readmore
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Canadian sniper fighting in Ukraine is alive despite death rumours
Mar 22, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdWoV77CjVY
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Canadian fighting in Ukraine describes the ‘hell’ he witnessed
May 5, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN2NdiFJFh0
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Kill list of 14 Russian commanders as generals ‘pushed to front line’ in Ukraine
19 Mar 2022
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/russian-generals-ukraine-killed-kremlin-26471059
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Alexei Sharov: Ukraine Kills Putin’s 15th Commander as Russia Suffers Its Worst Massacre of Military Brass Since World War II
March 23, 2022
https://www.ibtimes.sg/alexei-sharov-ukraine-kills-putins-15th-commander-russia-suffers-its-worst-massacre-military-63535?utm_source=Internal&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=readmore
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The top Russian naval commander died near Mariupol, Russia said, the latest senior officer killed in Ukraine
March 2022
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-top-russian-naval-commander-died-near-mariupol-russia-said-the-latest-senior-officer-killed-in-ukraine/ar-AAVjW8e
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Russian colonel liquidated in Ukraine (photo)
02.03.2022
Earlier, a mechanized battalion of one of the brigades of the Armed Forces in the battle near Kharkiv captured six of the newest Russian T-80BVM tanks from the 200th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The battalion managed to acquire enemy equipment on the BMP-2 and with one Javelin anti-tank missile system.
https://ukrainetoday.org/2022/03/02/russian-colonel-liquidated-in-ukraine-photo/
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‘Snipers have been picking them off left and right’: Retired U.S. general explains why so many Russian generals are getting killed in Ukraine
March 21st, 2022
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/snipers-have-been-picking-them-off-left-and-right-retired-u-s-general-explains-why-so-many-russian-generals-are-getting-killed-in-ukraine/ar-AAVjZbY
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Russia-Ukraine War: Russia Claims It Destroyed 2,203 Ukrainian Military Targets
6th March, 2022
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, a total of 778 Ukrainian tanks, 77 multiple launch rocket systems, 279 field artillery have been destroyed.
https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/russia-ukraine-crisis/russia-ukraine-war-russia-claims-it-destroyed-2203-ukrainian-military-targets-articleshow.html
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War in Ukraine: Is there still time to de-escalate? | To The Point
Sep 22, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVZ5NQC2uT4
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Ukraine, Russia Exchange Prisoners For First Time Since Invasion, Ukrainian Military Officer Says
March 01, 2022
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-prisoner-swap-russia/31730584.html
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Do Ukraine Infantry Need the US Army’s New XM5 Rifle?
Sep 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3AfmFVkEr8
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Section 3: Crimea
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Fighting in Ukraine threatens water supply for 3.2 million
July 4, 2019
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/03/world/eastern-ukraine-unicef-water-report/index.html
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Water: the other issue of the war in Ukraine
2022
https://eronid.com/water-the-other-issue-of-the-war-in-ukraine
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Russian Address to the UN on the Water Supply to Crimea: Legal Asset
September 27, 2020
https://arc.construction/3814
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Evaluation of the possibility of using the water of the Bystrytsya-Nadvirnyans’ka River in Cherniiv (Ukraine) to supply the population with drinking water
February 06, 2018
https://publons.com/publon/18493090/
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The devastating human, economic costs of Crimea’s annexation
21 May 2021
People in the Peninsula say they are subject to poor social services, dirty water and spiralling prices.
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Assessing the contamination of water flow in Soldatskaya Cave (Crimea)
November 2009
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The Proceedings Flow While Water Does Not: Russia’s Claims Concerning the North Crimean Canal in Strasbourg
August 24, 2021
https://www.ejiltalk.org/the-proceedings-flow-while-water-does-not-russias-claims-concerning-the-north-crimean-canal-in-strasbourg/
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Russian perspective on Crimean water crisis
Mar 03, 2021
https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/op-ed/russian-perspective-on-crimean-water-crisis
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Russian forces unblock water flow for canal to annexed Crimea, Moscow says
25-02-2022
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/1936323-russian-forces-unblock-water-flow-for-canal-to-annexed-crimea-moscow-says
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Russian troops destroy Ukrainian dam that blocked water to Crimea – RIA
Feb 26, 2022
https://wincountry.com/2022/02/26/russian-troops-destroy-ukrainian-dam-that-blocked-water-to-crimea-ria/
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Russian military begin extensive water pipeline project in Crimea (VIDEO)
4 Apr, 2015
https://www.rt.com/news/246725-crimea-water-pipeline-project/
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Russia captures key water supply route to annexed Crimea
25 February ,2022
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2022/02/25/Russia-captures-key-water-supply-route-to-annexed-Crimea
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Crimea takeover a theft on an international scale: Ukraine PM
March 19, 2014
The atmosphere in Ukraine is a mix of hopelessness and anger with the growing certainty that no savior would save them from the takeover.
https://indianexpress.com/article/world/europe/ukraine-crimea-russia-crimea-takeover/
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Theft and thuggery: Russia’s cultural games in Crimea
https://www.academia.edu/9605130/Theft_and_thuggery_Russias_cultural_games_in_Crimea
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Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annexation_of_Crimea_by_the_Russian_Federation
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Backgrounder: The Water Crisis in Crimea
April 24, 2020
https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/backgrounder-the-water-crisis-in-crimea/
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Materniak: the water situation in Crimea will only get worse (INTERVIEW)
April 2021
https://biznesalert.com/materniak-the-water-situation-in-crimea-will-only-get-worse-interview/
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Thousands of children evacuated following pollution crisis on Ukraine-Crimea border
16 September 2018
Ecologists and doctors blame disaster on release of industrial pollution with residents on both sides of border being treated for breathing problems, allergies and stomach ailments
A strange mist blew into one town, residents said. There and elsewhere, people noticed that metal items like children’s swings were rusting, and they felt a shortness of breath. Fields turned black.
Pollution has been blowing across the de facto border between Russian-controlled Crimea and mainland Ukraine since August, prompting authorities to evacuate about 4,000 children from towns and villages on both sides of the border.
Ecologists and doctors say the culprit was a significant release of industrial pollution, which has resulted in many children being treated for breathing ailments and allergies.
The border between Russian-controlled Crimea and mainland Ukraine has been a geopolitical flash point since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, adding an extra complication to the ecological crisis.
Russian and Ukrainian officials have offered differing explanations for the problem, though both point to a Crimean chemical factory that makes titanium dioxide, a powder that is a precursor for paint, toothpaste and many other products.
Over decades, the factory, Titan, formed a gigantic effluent pond of sulphur waste that has acidified. Russian authorities say the pond is the source, while Ukrainians point to current operations at the factory.
Residents who remain in the area close their windows and stay indoors.
Armyansk, a city on the Russian-controlled side with a population of about 22,000, was an eerie ghost town when Abdureshyt Dzepparov drove through in early September.
“It was unnatural,” he said. “There were few people in the town. The leaves had fallen off the trees, though it was very early fall, and the grass in the fields was black.”
Before the Russian annexation of Crimea, a canal diverting water from the Dnieper River in mainland Ukraine had fed the pond during dry summers.
Ukraine, which along with the United States and European nations has refused to recognize the annexation, has since cut this water supply, drying up the pond, concentrating the acid and leaving a residue that is now blowing about…
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/children-ukraine-crimea-evacuated-pollution-crisis-a8539966.html
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Briefing on the environmental damage caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine (19-22 April 2022)
22 April 2022
https://mepr.gov.ua/en/news/39125.html
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Russia-occupied Crimea may face irreversible environmental damage over lack of fresh water
15.11.19
https://www.unian.info/society/10756167-russia-occupied-crimea-may-face-irreversible-environmental-damage-over-lack-of-fresh-water.html
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Droughts and political negligence left Crimea struggling for water
March 8, 2021
https://climatetracker.org/droughts-and-political-negligence-left-crimea-struggling-for-water/
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Crimea Drills For Water As Crisis Deepens In Parched Peninsula
October 25, 2020
Drilling crews in Russia-controlled Crimea have begun digging new water wells near the Salhyr River in hopes of easing the severe drought on the peninsula. Environmental groups, however, worry about the ecological impact. Crimea’s water crisis came after Ukraine shut down a 400-kilometer canal that carried water to the region following Russia’s 2014 annexation of the peninsula.
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine–crimea-water-shortage-drought/30903039.html
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The Water Crisis in Crimea – Analysis
April 16, 2020
https://www.eurasiareview.com/16042020-the-water-crisis-in-crimea-analysis/
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In their shared sea, Ukraine and Russia already risk direct conflict every day
25/12/2021
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/europe/top-stories/in-their-shared-sea-ukraine-and-russia-already-risk-direct-conflict-every-day/ar-AAS8ts4
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Toxic pollution in Crimea: Kiev and Moscow stuck in blame game
4 October 2018
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/toxic-pollution-crimea-kiev-moscow-110209566.html
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Crimea: The peninsula poisoning relations between Russia and Ukraine
February 18, 2022
https://www.politico.eu/article/crimea-peninsula-relation-russia-ukraine/
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Crimea. Dehydration: A film exposing Russia’s colonial policy and the desiccation of the occupied peninsula
2021/03/17
https://euromaidanpress.com/2021/03/17/crimea-dehydration-a-film-exposing-russias-colonial-policy-and-the-desiccation-of-the-occupied-peninsula/
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One of theories of air pollution in Crimea is deliberate chemicals release by Russia to make Ukraine resume water supply
11.09.2018
Investigators have three leads they are working on regarding air pollution in Kherson region and temporarily occupied Crimea: air pollution over the wrong exploitation of plants in the north of Crimea, emission of chemicals after military exercises by Russia and deliberate air polluting by Russia for destabilization of the situation in Kherson region with the purpose of restoring water supplies to Crimea.
The press service of the main department of the National Police in Crimea reported on Tuesday that the police opened a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 241 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Air pollution) after recording the fact of chemical pollution from the territory of Crimea by Ukrainian border guard servicemen on September 4, 2018.
The police are investigating into the case via examination of witnesses, sending inquiries to competent authorities about the availability of possible source of pollution in the area and to health care institutions about facts of complaints about the state of health by citizens.
During the investigation, investigators put forward several leads: 1) the release of excessive sulphurous anhydride and sulfur oxide into the atmosphere, which was carried out in connection with the incorrect operation of the plants in the north of Crimea (Crimea Titan, Crimea Soda Plant and Crimean Bromic Plant); 2) the release of excessive sulphurous anhydride and sulfur oxide into the atmosphere, which occurred due to damage to waste tanks at the plants Crimea Titan, Crimea Soda Plant and Crimean Bromic Plant during military exercises by the Russian Federation; 3) the release of excessive sulphurous anhydride and sulfur oxide into the atmosphere was carried out by the Russian Federation with the aim of creating a massive information campaign against Ukraine to destabilize the situation in the south of Kherson region by organizing spontaneous meetings of local residents dissatisfied with the environmental situation on both sides of the administrative border with demands to unblock the dam of the Northern Crimean channel and restore the supply of water to the occupied Crimea to end the manmade catastrophe in the region.
The pretrial investigation is under way.
https://ua.interfax.com.ua/news/general/530507.html
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Russian Invasion Could Lead to a Radiation Catastrophe in Crimea
March 3, 2022
https://arc.construction/26793
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Canal in annexed Crimea to be readied for water from Ukraine’s Dnieper, official says
24-02-2022
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/1935043-canal-in-annexed-crimea-to-be-readied-for-water-from-ukraines-dnieper-official-says
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Russia Suggests Up Front Payments for Water Supply to Crimea
23 Apr 2014
https://www.ooskanews.com/story/2014/04/russia-suggests-front-payments-water-supply-crimea_160306
On April 21, Russian Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fyodorov said Russia was prepared to pay up front for water services that Ukraine provides to the Crimean peninsula, but was being hampered by political factors.
“We are ready to pay up front … but we can’t do this due to political reasons,” Fyodorov said.
The new Russian authorities on the recently annexed peninsula have announced that they are preparing a large-scale project to encourage new agriculture in the area. This will require much more water to be supplied through the North Crimean Canal, which brings freshwater from the Ukrainian mainland.
The addition of irrigation infrastructure will make a large part of northern Crimea capable of utilizing its climate, much milder than almost any other part of Russia, to produce a range of food items that up to now have had to be imported at great expense to Russian consumers.
“We are preparing a very intensive program of melioration in Crimea, seeking different scenarios to solve the problem [of irrigation water supply],” Fyodorov said.
“I can guarantee that Crimean villagers will receive a lot [of money] from the national budget,” he added.
Fyodorov’s remarks reflect the continuing role played by freshwater provision in the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine. While the main focus of division has now moved to the eastern part of the Ukrainian mainland, there is still a great deal of friction around Crimea.
The Crimean economy, which Russia has promised to revitalize, will still need Ukrainian cooperation to provide larger amounts of water to enable agricultural expansion.
Russian authorities stress that any payment arrangement with Ukraine for water services will be short term, as they assess a variety of options for joining Crimea to the Russian water networks or making it self-sufficient by building desalination plants.
On April 18, Crimean authorities said Kyiv had completely stopped water supply to the peninsula via the North Crimean Canal; Ukrainian authorities said that the proper agreements that would allow supply to continue had not been signed. Officials in Crimea claim they have in fact handed over a few draft agreements to Ukraine.
Also on April 18, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev claimed he had initiated discussions with Israeli companies on installing desalination plants on the peninsula.
This week, Evgeniy Dod, head of Russian hydropower company RusHydro, said his firm would also work on preparing projects to support water supply in Crimea.
“We are planning to prepare some offers for the government to improve the quality and reliability of water supply to the Crimean population and industries … They will be studied by a working group, already created and containing representatives from several ministries and agencies. Our offers will be ready in late April to early May,” Dod said.
He said other ways to provide water to the peninsula include bringing adding water from two small local rivers to the North Crimean Canal, using groundwater reserves and working to decrease water losses in the canal system.
Currently, Crimean authorities are using water from reservoirs filled by artesian wells and mountain rivers.
Dmitry Belik, one of the acting chairs of the municipal administration in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, said the city had freshwater reserves that could last another five months. He said Sevastopol would be supplied by the Chernorechensky Water Reservoir, which is currently holding 33 million cubic meters of water outof a total capacity of 64 million cubic meters.
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Ukraine probing into illegal pollution of Black Sea with toxic waste in occupied Crimea (Photo)
06.02.19
The Ukrainian-based Prosecutor’s Office for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea jointly with the police have begun a pretrial investigation into the illegal pollution of the Black Sea with toxic waste in Russian-occupied Crimea.
It has been established that after Russia occupied the Crimean peninsula in March 2014, the dam of the Nyzhnyo-Churbaske (Lower Curubas) reservoir in the city of Kerch is used for illegal sand extraction, the press service of the Prosecutor’s Office said.
Amounts of extracted sand increase every day, as a result of which the city beach is contaminated with the mud after sand washing and extraction because the waste is discharged directly into the canal.
“Meanwhile, toxic substances enter the Black Sea and pose a threat to residents’ health and the environment,” it said.
In this connection criminal proceedings were opened Part 2 of Article 240 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the rules for the protection or use of mineral resources).
As earlier reported, a senior researcher at the Institute of Water Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, hydrogeologist Yuriy Medovar warned that Crimea might run out of drinking water in Russian-occupied Crimea in May.
https://www.unian.info/society/10437009-ukraine-probing-into-illegal-pollution-of-black-sea-with-toxic-waste-in-occupied-crimea-photo.html
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Pollution the Crimea by Plastic Wastes Will be Discussed in UN
March 30, 2021
https://arc.construction/12879
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The pollution of water bodies in the Crimea by wastewater
January 2018
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334235307_The_pollution_of_water_bodies_in_the_Crimea_by_wastewater
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Russia warns of a nuclear war in Europe if ‘Ukraine joins NATO and attempts to bring Crimea back by military means’
8th Feb 22
https://londonlovesbusiness.com/russia-warns-of-a-nuclear-war-in-europe-if-ukraine-joins-nato-and-attempts-to-bring-crimea-back-by-military-means/
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Russia Ukraine conflict: Nato ‘more united’ a month after Russia invasion
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH93CKaxc1I
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Russia dominates Sea of Azov to squeeze Ukraine
2018
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/OXAN-DB235552/full/html?utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Expert_Briefings_TrendMD_1
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West cannot guarantee Black Sea protection to Ukraine
2019
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/OXAN-DB244706/full/html?utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Expert_Briefings_TrendMD_1
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PROBLEMS OF CONTROL AND RATIONAL USES OF THE BLACK SEA RESOURCES
https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/9789812797001_0018
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Ukraine says Russian drills in Black Sea made shipping ‘virtually impossible’
February 10th, 2022
https://www.euronews.com/2022/02/10/uk-ukraine-crisis-russia-blacksea
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‘This is a fossil fuel war’: Ukraine’s top climate scientist speaks out
March 9, 2022
As western governments untangle themselves from Russian oil and gas, Svitlana Krakovska notes that the roots of the climate crisis and invasion are in fossil fuels
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/09/ukraine-climate-scientist-russia-invasion-fossil-fuels
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State-owned enterprises of Russia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State-owned_enterprises_of_Russia
State-owned enterprises in Russia still play an important role in the national economy. The approximately 4,100 enterprises that have some degree of state ownership accounted for 39% of all employment in 2007 (down from over 80% in 1990). In 2007, SOEs controlled 64% of the banking sector, 47% of the oil and gas sector and 37% of the utility sector.
State corporations are established by the Russian government to boost industrial sectors. Rosstat figures show that 529,300 enterprises are partly or wholly owned by the state, of which between 30,000 and 31,000 are commercial companies (generating revenue). The 54 largest enterprises account for over two-thirds of the total revenues generated by state-owned organizations. SOEs account for 40% of the capitalization on the Russian stock market, one of the highest shares in the world.
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Petroleum industry in Russia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_industry_in_Russia
The petroleum industry in Russia is one of the largest in the world. Russia has the largest reserves and is the largest exporter of natural gas. It has the second largest coal reserves, the sixth largest oil reserves, and is one of the largest producers of oil. It is the fourth largest energy user…
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Russia’s second biggest oil company calls for an end to Putin’s war
March 5, 2022
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/04/business/lukoil-end-war/index.html
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Vladimir Putin sells €10bn stake in Russian state oil company, despite US and EU sanctions
08 December 2016
President personally announced the sale of 19.5% of Rosneft on television; it’s the biggest foreign investment in the country since the Ukraine crisis began
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/vladmir-putin-sells-rosneft-stake-russian-state-oil-company-eu-us-sanctions-a7462801.html
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Our addiction to oil has paid for Putin’s war
3 March 2022
High oil prices and the West’s failure to diversify its energy mix have bankrolled a tyrannical regime.
https://www.newstatesman.com/business/economics/2022/03/our-addiction-to-oil-has-paid-for-putins-war
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How Vladimir Putin uses natural gas to exert Russian influence and punish his enemies
June 23, 2021
https://theconversation.com/how-vladimir-putin-uses-natural-gas-to-exert-russian-influence-and-punish-his-enemies-162413
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In new preparation for war, Russia boosts Kaliningrad gas reserves
January 25, 2022
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/in-new-preparation-for-war-russia-boosts-kaliningrad-gas-reserves
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Vladimir Putin Is The New Global Shah Of Oil
Oct 29, 2012
https://www.forbes.com/sites/energysource/2012/10/29/vladimir-putin-is-the-new-global-shah-of-oil/?sh=4562aab76eb2
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How to Stop Oil Companies From Propping Up Kleptocrats
March 4, 2022
The industry’s belated withdrawal from Russia is a welcome move, but energy giants could do more to avoid bolstering corrupt and repressive regimes.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/04/russia-oil-energy-bp-shell-exxonmobil-prop-up-corruption-kleptocrats/
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Russian oil motives in Ukraine
2014/04/07
http://www.oil-price.net/en/articles/russian-oil-motives-in-ukraine.php
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Russia Accidentally Blows Up Own Oil Refinery in Attack, Ukraine Claims
3/23/22
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-accidentally-blows-own-oil-refinery-attack-ukraine-claims-1690835
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Revealed: the $2bn offshore trail that leads to Vladimir Putin
2016
A massive leak of documents shines new light on the fabulous fortunes of the Russian president’s inner circle
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/03/panama-papers-money-hidden-offshore
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What does U.S. know about Putin’s oil wealth?
March 21, 2014
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-gunvor-putin-idUSBREA2K08720140321
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Mitch McConnell reportedly linked to Putin, Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and Russian companies
January 28, 2019
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/28/1830431/-Mitch-McConnell-now-tied-to-Putin-Oleg-Deripaska-and-Russian-companies-after-lifting-sanctions
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Vladimir Pozner: How the United States Created Vladimir Putin
Oct 2, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X7Ng75e5gQ
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Defending the United States against Russian dark money
November 17, 2020
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/defending-the-united-states-against-russian-dark-money/
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Yachts, Oligarchs & the view from Washington | Ukraine: The Latest | Podcast
May 6, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioaXtFyVOnI
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Here’s where Russian oligarchs and their families own property in NYC
February 27, 2022
https://nypost.com/2022/02/27/heres-where-russian-oligarchs-and-their-families-own-property-in-nyc/
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Russian President Putin Opens Lukoil Station in N.Y.
2003
NEW YORK — Russian President Vladimir Putin was in New York Friday to celebrate the grand opening of a Lukoil gas station in the city’s Chelsea section.
https://csnews.com/russian-president-putin-opens-lukoil-station-ny
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Putin snickers: Guess who owns a big chunk of Venezuela’s oil!
March 9, 2022
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2022/03/putin_snickers_guess_who_owns_a_big_chunk_of_venezuelas_oil.html
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How the Russian-Saudi Oil War Went Awry—for Putin Most of All
April 15, 2020
https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/how-the-russian-saudi-oil-war-went-awry-for-putin-most-of-all
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Russian Journalist Who Exposed Oil-Theft Schemes Sentenced To Eight Years In Prison
May 14, 2021
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-oil-theft-shmonin-8-years-prison/31254873.html
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Former Russian oligarch calls for oil theft charge to be dismissed
2010
Yukos chief Mikhail Khodorkovsky – accused of stealing $25bn worth of oil – has called for his case to be thrown out
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/apr/06/russia-yukos-oil-chief-khodorkovsky
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These Are The 5 Countries Most Plagued by Oil Theft
Jul 03, 2014
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/These-Are-The-5-Countries-Most-Plagued-by-Oil-Theft.html
Russia
Vladimir Putin is an ambitious man. He is seeking to secure Russia’s energy future through landmark deals with China and Central Asia. To meet the export requirements of those deals, he has ordered Russia’s oil producers to reach an annual production of 535 million tons of oil by 2020. For that to happen, he will have to better secure Transneft’s pipeline network of over 50,000 kilometers.
This past April, Transneft threatened to shut down the oil supply to Ukraine, saying that oil worth $63 million dollars had been stolen from its PrikarpatZapadtrans pipeline system heading to the beleaguered country. However, Transneft has been facing more serious threats from organized crime in fractious regions like Dagestan where 27,000 tons of oil was stolen in 2009.
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Theft of Russian oil, Iranian murder and more: the best RFE / RL surveys of the year – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
26/12/2021
https://oltnews.com/theft-of-russian-oil-iranian-murder-and-more-the-best-rfe-rl-surveys-of-the-year-radio-free-europe-radio-liberty
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Russia accuses US of oil theft in Syria
October 27, 2019
https://wnobserver.com/world/russia-accuses-us-of-oil-theft-in-syria/
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Trump’s Syrian Oil Deployment ‘Tantamount to Robbery,’ Russia Says
11/11/19
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-syrian-oil-deployment-troops-tantamount-robbery-russia-sergei-lavrov-1471012
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The Great Russian Oil Heist
March 22, 2021
Criminals, Lawmen, And The Quest For Liquid Loot
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-oil-pipeline-theft-transneft/31163179.html
Russian law enforcement officers play a key role in the industrial-scale theft of oil from the country’s network of pipelines, an illicit business that robs the public coffers of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and wreaks damage on the environment, a new RFE/RL investigation shows.
The investigation, published on March 22 by RFE/RL’s Russian Service, known locally as Radio Svoboda, focuses on the energy-rich Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District in western Siberia, though multiple sources said that oil-theft schemes in other Russian regions operate in a similar fashion.
Organized crime groups siphon off untold amounts of oil using illegal taps and hoses to pump the liquid loot from pipelines into waiting tanker trucks or river barges, while police and security officers provide protection and logistical assistance in exchange for a cut of the illicit profits, the investigation found.
The investigation is based on interviews with numerous sources in the Khanty-Mansi region, a sprawling area that is bigger than Spain and is centered some 2,000 kilometers east of Moscow. They include current and former law enforcement officials, private security contractors, security specialists at oil companies, and people close to organized crime groups in the region.
The FSB Connection
The Khanty-Mansi region is the source of around 40 percent of all the oil produced in Russia. Sources told Radio Svoboda that oil theft on an industrial scale emerged in the region in the early 2000s.
Interviews with sources, as well as criminal-case records and police communications reviewed by Radio Svoboda, indicate that both FSB and police officers are key beneficiaries of oil-theft schemes in the region — even as both organizations are tasked with investigating these crimes and regularly release information about arrests.
Tight ties between criminals and the state are not limited to the oil industry, though its lucrative nature makes it particularly attractive. Kremlin critics say state authorities have built illicit partnerships with organized crime groups operating in a variety of sectors under President Vladimir Putin, a longtime Soviet KGB officer and former FSB chief who came to power in 2000. He has brought numerous members of security and law enforcement agencies into top positions, and has used police and the FSB as a tool to maintain control and quash dissent.
Illegal pipeline taps can operate for years, but if one gets exposed, authorities use the opportunity to demonstrate they are fighting oil theft, one source said. Often only the tanker-truck driver and others on the ground are arrested — and charged with stealing only the oil in their possession at the time — while the gang leaders and their protectors in law enforcement remain untouched.
A 2020 analysis by a Moscow-based energy-research institute concluded that “major organized-crime groups” involved in oil theft had set up shop in numerous Russian regions and enjoy “strong connections with police, prosecutors, and courts.”
Multiple sources told Radio Svoboda that oil theft in the Khanty-Mansi region flourished during the tenure of Vadim Pyatiletov as head of the FSB branch in the Tyumen Oblast, which formally includes the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District, from 2011-17. The Samara region was seen as a hotspot for oil theft as well when Pyatiletov, who has never been charged with a crime, served as the deputy regional FSB chief there.
Pyatiletov was dismissed as head of the Tyumen Oblast’s FSB branch in 2017 following a scandal in which FSB officers in the region were implicated in contract killings. After his dismissal, he went on to work as a director for a Lukoil subsidiary specializing in security for oil and petroleum products.
Occasionally FSB officers themselves end up charged with oil theft, though several sources said this is often the result of infighting with colleagues over access to the profits from illegal pipeline taps.
In February 2020, a court in the Khanty-Mansi region city of Nizhnevartovsk sentenced former FSB officer Vladimir Chernakov to six years in prison after convicting him of abuse of office and the theft of oil together with a criminal group.
The criminal counts against Chernakov involved oil heists from tapped pipelines in 2017. But the previous October, a source from a private security firm had told Shmonin, the Nizhnevartovsk-based journalist behind the Criminal Oil documentary, about an FSB officer named Chernakov who intervened after the firm’s guards and traffic police stopped a tanker truck with suspicious documents.
“This guy named Chernakov shows up from the FSB,” the source told Shmonin, according to a copy obtained by Radio Svoboda. “…He shows up, looks around, [and says]: ‘OK, traffic cops, stand down. Security guards, stand down. These guys can drive on.’”
The source said they later found a pipeline tap at the base where the tanker was leaving from. But by then the tanker was long gone. “And this isn’t an isolated case. It’s just an example,” he said.
In comments to Radio Svoboda, a source with links to organized crime in the region claimed that Chernakov’s conviction was retribution for allegedly pocketing some of the criminal money he was supposed to pass to the regional FSB in the Tyumen Oblast and for implicating participants in the scheme to investigators.
This claim could not be independently corroborated. But the source did provide a copy of a surreptitiously recorded conversation with a man he identified as Chernakov, who discusses oil theft in the region. The source also provided a handwritten diagram allegedly provided by Chernakov showing the names of law enforcement officials purportedly involved in oil theft.
The audio recording suggests that the man identified as Chernakov is writing down names, and he and his interlocutor are heard discussing several names listed on the handwritten note obtained by Radio Svoboda.
Both the alleged Chernakov note and audio mention the Khanty-Mansi region city of Raduzhny in connection with oil theft. In 2018, Raduzhny’s police chief was arrested on suspicion of trying to bribe an FSB officer for information about operations to crack down on oil theft. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to 8 ½ years in prison.
Radio Svoboda was unable to contact Chernakov, who is serving a prison sentence and facing additional oil-theft charges along with another former FSB officer. But the diagram he allegedly wrote includes the names of four individuals that independent sources alleged to Radio Svoboda were involved in oil theft — among them, two FSB officers.
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Russian Gas Company Part-Owned By Putin Hired GOP Lobbyists Against US Sanctions
Aug 9, 2017
https://thesternfacts.com/russian-gas-company-part-owned-by-putin-hired-gop-lobbyists-against-us-sanctions-97c1858079d6
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Pandora papers reveal hidden riches of Putin’s inner circle
3 Oct 2021
Alleged lover and others linked to Putin have all come into extreme wealth. But is the money really theirs?
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/oct/03/pandora-papers-reveal-hidden-wealth-vladimir-putin-inner-circle
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Roman Abramovich
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian-born billionaire, philanthropist, oligarch, and politician. Abramovich is of Jewish origin and he is the primary owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC. He is best known outside Russia as the owner of Chelsea, a Premier League football club. Abramovich was one of seven oligarchs sanctioned by the UK government over the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, including asset freezes and travel bans.
He was formerly Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug from 2000 to 2008. According to Forbes, Abramovich’s net worth was US$12.9 billion in 2019, making him the second-richest person in Israel, the eleventh-richest in Russia and the richest person in Portugal (accounting for his citizenship in each). Abramovich enriched himself in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union, obtaining Russian state-owned assets at prices far below market value in Russia’s controversial loans-for-shares privatization program. Abramovich is considered a close confidante of the Russian president Vladimir Putin.
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Putin: The richest man on earth?
19.04.12
https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2012-04-19/putin-the-richest-man-on-earth
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Putin’s daughter, a young billionaire and the president’s friends
Nov. 10, 2015
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/russia-capitalism-daughters/
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15 Most Expensive And Rare Things Owned By Vladimir Putin
Feb 02, 2018
https://www.therichest.com/high-life/20-most-expensive-and-rare-things-owned-by-vladimir-putin/
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10 Unbelievable Stories About Vladimir Putin
February 22, 2016
https://listverse.com/2016/02/22/10-unbelievable-stories-about-vladimir-putin/
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Putin’s environmental crimes
03/28/2022
https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/600041-putins-environmental-crimes?rl=1
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Fracking Execs See The Ukraine Crisis As An Oil And Gas Goldmine
Mar 22, 2022
https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2022/03/22/ukraine-oil-gas/
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Fossil Fuel CEOs Making ‘Unconscionable Profits’ Amid Ukraine Crisis: Analysis
March 23, 2022
“The fracking industry is seeking a long-term strategy to deepen global dependence on dirty fossil fuels,” said one researcher. “It is nothing short of a cynical exploitation of a genuine crisis.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/03/23/fossil-fuel-ceos-making-unconscionable-profits-amid-ukraine-crisis-analysis
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Why US fracking companies are licking their lips over Ukraine
2014
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/10/us-fracking-companies-climate-change-crisis-shock-doctrine
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Biden, Ukraine, Fracking, Shale: the Initiative to support start-ups like Exxon with US Taxpayer dollars
09/30/2019
https://caucus99percent.com/content/biden-ukraine-fracking-shale-initiative-support-start-ups-exxon-us-taxpayer-dollars
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Chevron has no plans to end fracking agreement with Ukraine
April 5, 2014
Energy: Chevron says it will stand behind its fracking plan in Ukraine
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Ukraine War Triggers Push For More Fracking In Pennsylvania
Mar 28, 2022
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has prompted a Pennsylvania state representative to seek legislation to increase fracking for natural gas.
https://patch.com/maryland/annapolis/ukraine-war-triggers-push-more-fracking-pennsylvania
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Fracking will be explored to improve UK’s energy security following Ukraine invasion, No 10 says
09 March 2022
New strategy to be set out by Boris Johnson next week will consider lifting ban on drilling for shale gas
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/energy-crisis-uk-ukraine-russia-invasion-b2031988.html
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Anger over mooted fracking rethink amid phase out of Russian oil
March 09 2022
Environmental campaigners were prepared to resist any such move.
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/anger-over-mooted-fracking-rethink-amid-phase-out-of-russian-oil-41427494.html
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Fears ‘dangerous’ fracking on way for Wirral amid Ukraine war
17 MAR 2022
“Many Wirral West residents are extremely concerned”, the local MP said
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/fears-dangerous-fracking-way-wirral-23416649
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Ukrainian Climate Activists Say They Don’t Want the US’s Fracked Gas Exports
March 29, 2022
https://truthout.org/articles/ukrainian-climate-activists-say-they-dont-want-the-uss-fracked-gas-exports/
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Fracking Execs Profiting from Ukraine Crisis
March 23, 2022
New analysis of CEO stock sales and company buybacks amidst soaring energy prices.
https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2022/03/23/fracking-execs-profiting-ukraine-crisis
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Putin hates fracking. How much did he support US and EU fracking foes?
March 23, 2022
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/putin-hates-fracking-how-much-did-he-support-us-and-eu-fracking-foes
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Why Putin Hates Fracking
Feb. 26, 2014
Russia’s president is really worried about what it will do to the environment. OK, not really.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-putin-hates-fracking
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Vladimir Putin Opposes U.S. Fracking Because It Threatens Russia’s Oil & Gas Exports
July 27, 2017
https://capitalresearch.org/article/vladimir-putin-opposes-u-s-fracking-because-it-threatens-russias-oil-gas-exports/
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Russia shoots for lift-off with home-grown fracking units
12 November 2020
Government tasks Moscow institute synonymous with missile construction to design and build fracking equipment to beat sanctions
https://www.upstreamonline.com/shale/russia-shoots-for-lift-off-with-home-grown-fracking-units/2-1-909445
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Russia and fracking
https://www.gem.wiki/Russia_and_fracking
Russia is the world’s largest exporter of natural gas. The country’s state-owned energy company, Gazprom, supplies about 25 percent of the fuel in the European Union through a pipeline in Ukraine.
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Media repeats Kremlin anti-fracking claims—while ignoring Russia’s promotion of climate denial
March 28, 2022
https://www.nationofchange.org/2022/03/28/media-repeats-kremlin-anti-fracking-claims-while-ignoring-russias-promotion-of-climate-denial/
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Russia Map of Oil & Gas Wells – Drilling Rigs & Oil Refineries
https://www.drillingmaps.com/russia.html
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Hydraulic fracturing in Ukraine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing_in_Ukraine
Hydraulic fracturing in Ukraine has been used since the 1950s. The first hydraulic fracturing operation was conducted in 1954 for the underground coal gasification project. There has been a strong revival of interest in the hydraulic fracturing industry in Ukraine. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Ukraine has third-largest shale gas reserves in Europe at 128 trillion cubic feet (3.6 trillion cubic metres). As of 2011, approximately 22 domestic and foreign-owned companies have been engaged in hydraulic fracturing in Ukraine.
Obstacles
At least two companies have backed out of a deal to extract shale gas in Eastern Ukraine due to the threat of military action in that area. There are also other challenges to hydraulic fracturing in Ukraine, such as a lack of a proper regulatory framework for its development, opposition of major EU partners to hydraulic fracturing which may seek to influence Ukraine (France, for example, has an outright ban). Ukraine’s shale gas reserves are also deeper than those in the United States, and thus production is bound to be more expensive, which may make it cost-prohibitive, depending on the prevailing market prices for gas.
Uncertainty
Constitutionally, Ukraine’s natural resources belong to the people, with government acting as a trustee. A private investor needs to execute a production-sharing agreement, but is never entitled to 100% of its production, as it has to be shared with the state. The level of potential public opposition to hydraulic fracturing also creates uncertainty. On the positive side, Ukraine continues to vigorously pursue reforms designed to achieve energy independence, which portends well for hydraulic fracturing as a helpful option in that regard.
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Hydraulic fracturing by country
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing_by_country#Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine has a long history of hydraulic fracturing, since it has been used there since the 1950s. There has also been a strong recent interest of the hydraulic fracturing industry in Ukraine. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Ukraine has third-largest shale gas reserves in Europe at 128 trillion cubic feet.[86] Since 2011, approximately 22 domestic and foreign-owned companies have been engaged in hydraulic fracturing in Ukraine.[citation needed]
But this growing industry presence is hampered by major obstacles. At least two companies have backed out of a deal to extract shale gas in Eastern Ukraine due to the threat of military action in that area. There are also other challenges to hydraulic fracturing in Ukraine, such as a lack of a proper regulatory framework for its development, opposition of major EU partners to hydraulic fracturing which may seek to influence Ukraine (France for example has an outright ban).
Constitutionally, Ukraine’s natural resources belong to the people, with government acting as a trustee. Under Ukraine’s constitution, a private investor would need to execute a production-sharing agreement, but would not be entitled to 100% of its production as it has to be shared with the state. The level of potential public opposition to hydraulic fracturing also creates uncertainty. Ukraine’s shale gas reserves are deeper than those in the United States, and thus production is bound to be more expensive, which may make it cost-prohibitive, depending on the prevailing market prices for gas. Ukraine continues to vigorously pursue reforms designed to achieve energy independence, which portends well for hydraulic fracturing as a helpful option in that regard.
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Exxon and OMV Petrom estimate Black Sea gas deposits at 100 billion cubic meters
18.02.2016
US company Exxon and Romania’s biggest oil company OMV Petrom have estimated a gas deposit they are exploring in the Black Sea at about 100 billion cubic meters.
Exxon and Petrom – owned by Austrian energy group OMV – started searching for oil and gas off Romania’s Black Sea coast after starting drilling operations in the Neptun block in 2011. Exxon has reportedly invested EUR1.3bn in its Black Sea explorations.
Russian oil and gas company Lukoil has also reportedly confirmed another deposit of 30 billion cubic meters close to the area by Exxon and Petrom.
“No one in the world would complete such an investment programme if the area’s potential wasn’t already confirmed,” according to Iulian Iancu, president of the Committee for Industries and Services within the Chamber of Deputies, cited by Agerpres.
A Petrom official said the company’s Ocean Endeavour rig is drilling the Pelican South-1 well about 155 kilometers offshore.
“We are encouraged by the good results so far, in shallow and deep waters,” Gabriel Selischi, a member of Petrom’s board responsible for exploration and production, said in the statement. “However, much of the activity in the Black Sea deep water area is of a frontier, pioneering nature, involving high investment risks and therefore requiring a stable investment framework.”
Romania, which imports about 20 per cent of its natural gas from Russia, aims to become energy independent by 2020, according to Energy Minister Razvan Nicolescu.
The country also plans to increase royalties for oil and gas produced from this year from the current 3 per cent to 13.5 per cent, bringing fees closer to levels in other EU countries. The taxes will differ for onshore and offshore fields, Prime Minister Victor Ponta said last June.
In 2012 ExxonMobil and OMV Petrom announced the discovery of a major natural gas field in the Neptun block. According to OMV, the Domino-1 exploration well found a gas accumulation of 70.7 meters, the preliminary estimates assessing the accumulation at 42 – 84 billion cubic meters.
“A first, decisive step was made last year when the potential of the Black Sea was mentioned in the Energy Security Strategy of the European Union. This is the first recognition of the potential of Romania,” according to Alexandru Maximescu, Director of Corporate Affairs at OMV Petrom. “On the one hand, we have a very challenging market; on the other hand, there is uncertainty regarding the fiscal framework for oil and gas.”
Several new investors have taken an interest in Romanian energy reserves: OMV Petrom with Exxon-Mobil and Repsol and Hunt Oil for example. Several international service providers have also located operations in Romania, including US firm Schlumberger.
The oil and gas sector, Maximescu noted, is crucial to the Romanian economy. “It has enhanced the security of the energy supply in Romania, the economic multiplier effect on Romania’s GDP, state revenues, national employment. The oil and gas industry is one of the main employers in Romania, providing up to 25,000 direct jobs in exploration and production–the largest in the sector in the European Union.” Every euro invested in oil and gas in Romania generates EUR2.30 in the Romanian economy, Maximescu said.
“Understanding the risk in its different forms is one of the most important parts of a successful development for new offshore fields,” John L. Knapp, Managing Director, Exxon-Mobil, said. “The investors take all the risk and cost of the exploration phase, which can last 10 years or more. This is the period required for seismic studies, drilling, evaluation and assessment. All of these activities are required before production can begin.”
According to Dan Stefanescu, E&P Director at Romgaz S.A., Romania is in need of additional gas storage to be able to deal with unforeseen circumstances. “While it is true that we have such storage facilities for oil, for natural gas we don’t have such storage facilities,” he said.
ExxonMobil was the first American oil and gas company to work in Romania, operating from 1903 to 1948 as Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey.
https://www.obserwatorfinansowy.pl/in-english/new-trends/exxon-and-omv-petrom-estimate-black-sea-gas-deposits-at-100-billion-cubic-meters/
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Romania’s OMV Petrom finds new oil reservoir in the Black Sea
16 July 2014
https://www.romania-insider.com/romanias-omv-petrom-finds-new-oil-reservoir-in-the-black-sea/
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Romanian player eyes Black Sea first gas next year
3 February 2020
Black Sea Oil & Gas ‘on time and on budget’ at the $400 million gas field development
https://www.upstreamonline.com/field-development/romanian-player-eyes-black-sea-first-gas-next-year/2-1-748835
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From Pipelines to Ports, These Are Ukraine’s Key Commodity Sites
February 24, 2022
Ukraine is an important global supplier of crops and metals
Russian gas flows through pipelines key to European supplies
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-24/from-pipelines-to-ports-these-are-ukraine-s-key-commodity-sites
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The list of global sanctions on Russia for the war in Ukraine
February 28, 2022
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/25/business/list-global-sanctions-russia-ukraine-war-intl-hnk/index.html
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The true impact of sanctions on Russia | DW Business Special
Aug 5, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzvR958CYTw
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Live: Are the economic sanctions against Russia working? | Q & A
Jun 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6JQQO76x0M
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RUSSIAN Report Forecasts ECONOMIC COLLAPSE – Deep & Prolonged RECESSION for RUSSIA as SANCTIONS Bite
Sep 13, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL3EysuSniQ
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Russian Arms Exports – Will the Ukraine invasion tank their market share?
Aug 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73hBbONvCN0
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RUSSIAN Economy in CRISIS as Inflation RISES & Vehicle Sales CRASH as Impact of Sanctions Hits Home
Oct 9, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM5At3hUwyg
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“These are Putin’s sanctions”: Understanding the economic sanctions against Russia
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_x2LQZOzF8
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Biden imposes additional sanctions on Russia: ‘Putin chose this war’
February 24, 2022
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/24/politics/joe-biden-ukraine-russia-sanctions/index.html
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The Crisis in Ukraine Is Not About Ukraine. It’s About Germany
February 14, 2022
https://truth11.com/2022/02/14/the-crisis-in-ukraine-is-not-about-ukraine-its-about-germany/
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Germany Will Never Back Down on Its Russian Pipeline If it looks like Berlin is colluding with Moscow, that’s because it is.
February 25, 2021
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/25/germany-will-never-back-down-on-its-russian-pipeline/
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Germany halts key gas pipeline in response to Russian actions in Ukraine
Februay 2022
https://www.oregonlive.com/nation/2022/02/germany-halts-key-russian-gas-pipeline-in-response-to-russian-actions-in-ukraine.html
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Germany Blocks Opening of Pipeline as Violence Erupts in Ukraine
22 February 2022
https://www.newsmax.com/money-wire/germany-nord-stream-pipeline-sanction-russia/2022/02/22/id/1057897/
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Germany suspends the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia. What does that mean?
Feb 22, 2022
https://bronx.news12.com/germany-suspends-the-nord-stream-2-gas-pipeline-from-russia-what-does-that-mean
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EXPLAINER: What’s Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Europe?
February 08, 2022
https://www.kob.com/business-news/explainer-whats-russias-nord-stream-2-pipeline-to-europe/6385302/
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Leaks from Nord Stream ruptures could mark biggest single methane release ever recorded, UN says
Oct 1, 2022
Gas leak stops late on Saturday as Russia and the European Union suggest the ruptures were caused by saboteurs
Researchers at GHGSat, which uses satellites to monitor methane emissions, estimated the leak rate from one of four rupture points was 22,920 kg per hour. That is equivalent to burning about 630,000 pounds of coal every hour, GHGSat said in a statement…
https://www.irishtimes.com/world/europe/2022/10/01/leaks-from-nord-stream-ruptures-could-mark-biggest-single-methane-release-ever-recorded-un-says/
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Ukrainian troops advance on Lyman & pipelines mysterious rupture | Ukraine: The Latest | Podcast
Sep 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAL0mAbYj7U
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Sham referendums. Nord Stream gas leaks | World News | TVP World
Sep 28, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AbDdHlpiS8
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Germany turns to renewables after Russian invasion of Ukraine
March 1st, 2022
Germany halted the Nord Stream 2 pipeline when Russia waged war on Ukraine
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/germany-turns-to-renewables-after-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-b2025553.html
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Ukraine Crisis Jolts Europe To Push For Secure Energy Supply
Feb. 22, 2022
https://hosted.ap.org/semissourian/article/a4e956253d3640084f8bdfaa2c901be8/ukraine-crisis-jolts-europe-push-secure-energy-supply
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No Russia-Germany pipeline if Ukraine is invaded, says Biden
Feb 9, 2022
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/no-russia-germany-pipeline-if-ukraine-is-invaded-says-biden/articleshow/89442111.cms
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White House hails Germany’s decision to halt certification of Nord Stream 2 pipeline to punish Russia
February 22, 2022
https://news.yahoo.com/white-house-hails-germanys-decision-to-halt-certification-of-nord-stream-2-pipeline-to-punish-russia-001744081.html
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Germany halts pipeline deal after Putin sends troops into eastern Ukraine
22 Feb 2022
https://www.efe.com/efe/english/portada/germany-halts-pipeline-deal-after-putin-sends-troops-into-eastern-ukraine/50000260-4745516
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Why Vladimir Putin Invokes Nazis to Justify His Invasion
March 17, 2022
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/world/europe/ukraine-putin-nazis.html
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RELEASE: AS PUTIN’S ILLEGAL INVASION OF UKRAINE CAUSES GAS PRICES TO RISE, REED, KHANNA, COLLEAGUES URGE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO TAP STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE
February 25, 2022
https://khanna.house.gov/media/press-releases/release-putin-s-illegal-invasion-ukraine-causes-gas-prices-rise-reed-khanna
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What a key natural-gas pipeline has to do with the Russia-Ukraine crisis
Feb 23, 2022
Here’s why Germany rescinded its certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as tensions continue to get even hotter.
https://www.popsci.com/technology/germany-halts-nord-stream-2-pipeline/
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Ukraine’s gas debt to hit $5.26 bn, if no June payment
7 Jul, 2014
Ukraine’s gas debt will increase to $5.26 billion on Monday, if it doesn’t pay its bill for June by the July 7 deadline. This bill is calculated on gas delivered before Russia’s Gazprom switched Ukraine’s Naftogaz to a prepayment system.
In the first 15 days of June before the prepayment plan was introduced Russia supplied 1.56 billion cubic meters of gas to Ukraine.
If the bill is not paid by July 7 the debt will rise to $5.26 billion, based on the new price of $485 per thousand cubic meters that came into effect in April.
Ukraine has insisted it would pay the bill if it was charged $326, the head of Naftogaz said. Meanwhile the country is seeking ways to diversify away from its dependence on Russia.
On Friday Ukraine’s Finance Ministry put forward an eight point plan to escape Russian gas dependence, via developing its own production as well looking for other suppliers…
https://www.rt.com/business/170856-ukraine-gas-independence-plan/
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Merkel struggles to reassure Ukraine on Russian pipeline
August 23, 2021
KIEV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday that the soon-to-be completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline carrying Russian gas to Europe was “a dangerous geopolitical weapon”.
The comments came as the two leaders met in Kiev for a last time ahead of Merkel leaving office after 16 years in power next month and days after she held final talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Bypassing Ukraine and depriving the Western ally of essential gas transit fees Kiev estimates to be at least $1.5 billion per year, Nord Stream 2 is set to double Russian natural gas shipments to Germany, Europe’s largest economy.
Kiev fiercely opposes the pipeline, arguing that it will increase Europe’s energy dependence on Russia and Moscow’s geopolitical clout.
“We view this project exclusively through the prism of security and consider it a dangerous geopolitical weapon of the Kremlin,” Zelensky said during a joint press conference with Merkel.
While the main risks after the completion of the $12-billion pipeline beneath the Baltic Sea would be “borne by Ukraine”, he said, it would also be dangerous “for all of Europe”.
Merkel said Berlin agreed with Washington that “gas must not be used as a geopolitical weapon.
“It will come down to if there is an extension to the transit contract via Ukraine — the sooner the better,” she said, referring to the expiry of Moscow’s agreement with Kiev in 2024.
While the construction of the pipeline led to tensions between Germany and the United States, Washington eventually waived sanctions against the Russian-controlled builder of the pipeline.
Merkel on Sunday sought to reassure Zelensky, saying that the Germany-US agreement specified “sanctions” if gas was “used as a weapon”.
These commitments are “binding on future German governments”, she noted.
She also said she had discussed with Putin extending Russia’s transit contract with Ukraine past 2024.
“We feel a special responsibility” and “understand the big concerns that President Zelensky expressed,” she said. “We take them very seriously.” The Ukrainian leader, however, said that while he and Merkel had discussed the extension, he had heard only “very general things”.
In addition to the pipeline issue, the two leaders also discussed Ukraine’s protracted conflict with pro-Russia separatists in its east, which has claimed more than 13,000 lives.
Merkel has helped mediate in the conflict, which broke out after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014. The following year she played a crucial role in clinching the Minsk peace accords, which helped halt the fiercest clashes.
But many in Ukraine think the deal, which assumes some autonomy for the breakaway parts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, was unfavourable for Kiev and is difficult to fulfil.
Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2021
https://www.dawn.com/news/1642089
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How Putin’s $11 billion pipeline split NATO and the EU at a time of crisis
January 24, 2022
https://abc17news.com/news/2022/01/24/how-putins-11-billion-pipeline-split-nato-and-the-eu-at-a-time-of-crisis/
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Putin wants Ukraine Natural Gas? Water restarted to CRIMEA?
February 27
https://community.oilprice.com/topic/25884-putin-wants-ukraine-natural-gas-water-restarted-to-crimea/
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Russia’s Dirty Gas Is Keeping Europe From Freezing Over
November 1, 2021
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/russia-europe-gas-pipeline-climate-impact-2021/
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Watch Live: Biden to announce ban on Russian oil imports over Ukraine invasion
March 8, 2022
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/biden-russia-oil-ban-ukraine-watch-live-stream-today-2022-03-08/?intcid=CNI-00-10aaa3b
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Can Europe Replenish Its Depleting Gas Inventories?
Mar 01, 2022
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Can-Europe-Replenish-Its-Depleting-Gas-Inventories.html
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Energy policy of Russia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_policy_of_Russia
Russia’s energy policy which is set out in the government’s Energy Strategy document, first approved in 2000, which sets out the government’s policy to 2020. The Energy Strategy outlines several key priorities: an increase in energy efficiency, reducing the impact on the environment, sustainable development, energy development and technological development, as well as improved effectiveness and competitiveness.
In July 2008 Russia’s president signed a law allowing the government to allocate strategic oil and gas deposits on the continental shelf without an auction procedure. On 17 February 2011, Russia signed a deal with China, stating that in return for $25 billion in Chinese loans to Russian oil companies, Russia will supply China with large quantities of crude oil via new pipelines for the next 20 years.
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Russia’s Transneft signed off on alleged supplier of tainted oil: documents
July 17, 2019
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-oil-certificates-idUSKCN1UC1IP
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The Giant Soviet Pipeline System That’s Full of Tainted Crude
April 26, 2019
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-26/the-giant-soviet-pipeline-system-that-s-full-of-tainted-crude
Russia’s Druzhba pipeline is vital to European refineries
Contamination impacted flows of 1.5 million barrels a day
Russia’s giant Soviet-era oil pipeline is a vital piece of Europe’s energy infrastructure, carrying crude to refineries across the region. This week it’s been hit by probably the biggest crisis in its 55-year history: both branches of the Druzhba pipeline have been closed due to the presence of contaminated crude oil that can cause serious damage to refineries.
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Putin says contaminated oil pipeline scandal has hurt Russia’s image
May 01, 2019
Belarus said earlier on Tuesday that months of work would be needed to restore clean oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline from Russia to Europe.
https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/oil-and-gas/putin-says-contaminated-oil-pipeline-scandal-has-hurt-russias-image/69124483
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Druzhba pipeline
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Druzhba_pipeline
The Druzhba pipeline (Russian: нефтепровод «Дружба»; also has been referred to as the Friendship Pipeline and the Comecon Pipeline) is the world’s longest oil pipeline and one of the biggest oil pipeline networks in the world. It carries oil some 4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi) from the eastern part of European Russia to points in Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany. The network also branches out into numerous pipelines to deliver its product throughout Eastern Europe and beyond.
2019 oil contamination scandal
The delivery of oil was halted on 20 April 2019 due to high concentrations of organic chloride found in the pipeline. These chemical compounds contaminated the pipeline and equipment in Russia and Europe causing an economic impact of billions of dollars. Investigation into the scandal is ongoing with individuals being detained in Russia suspected of having stolen oil and pouring in organochloride to the pipeline to cover up the theft.
Disputes over payment for contaminated oil were ongoing a month later.
By late May, a month after the contamination was discovered, Russia agreed to take back some of the 8-9m tons of contaminated oil remaining in the pipeline.
Estimates of overall contaminated stock, including that still in the pipeline and other stock pumped to tankers or to storage range from 20-40m tons as of end May. This stock will all require dilution before it can be refined.
By the 9th of June Belarus announced that it had cleaned up its sector of the pipeline, returning 450,000 tons to Russia in the process, and that limited flow across the Poland border had resumed at a rate of 65,000 tons a day, the normal rate before the contamination was discovered was 145,000 tons a day. Projections were that full capacity would be reached again by July 2019.
In mid September 2019, almost 5 months after the contamination was noticed, the Polish pipeline operator confirmed their section of the pipeline had been cleared of contamination and was operating normally. 450,000 Tons of Contaminated Oil had been moved to storage.
Also in September 2019 oil companies BP and Total were trying to sell 2.3m Barrels (over 300,000 tons) of tainted oil that they had received earlier from the pipeline.
Belarus–Russia relations
In February 2020, Belarus threatened to take oil from the Druzhba pipeline if Russia did not supply it with the required volumes of crude oil. Russian oil supplies to Belarus have not been agreed for 2020 and shipments have dwindled to 500,000 tonnes, down from a planned 2 million tonnes.[26] Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Moscow hinted at an energy supply deal in exchange for Belarus merging with Russia, which caused talks to collapse.
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Russia–Ukraine gas disputes
The Russia–Ukraine gas disputes refer to a number of disputes between Ukrainian oil and gas company Naftohaz Ukrayiny and Russian gas supplier Gazprom over natural gas supplies, prices, and debts. These disputes have grown beyond simple business disputes into transnational political issues—involving political leaders from several countries—that threaten natural gas supplies in numerous European countries dependent on natural gas imports from Russian suppliers, which are transported through Ukraine. Russia provides approximately a quarter of the natural gas consumed in the European Union; approximately 80% of those exports travel through pipelines across Ukrainian soil prior to arriving in the EU.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93Ukraine_gas_disputes
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Why Azerbaijan Is Getting Poorer Despite An Oil Revolution (2000)
Aug 27, 2015
https://youtu.be/HvyK2YdXRzU?t=1m1s
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Ukraine: Oil depot hit and set ablaze near Kyiv
February 27, 2022
Explosions were however heard near the city and an oil depot in Vasylkiv to the south of the capital was hit and set ablaze.
The fire prompted fears of toxic fumes and residents were warned to close their windows and stay indoors.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-60544498
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As it happened: Kyiv warned of toxic fumes after strike on oil depot
February 26, 2022
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60517447
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Toxic fume warning in Ukraine as oil depot hit in Russian invasion – BBC News
February 2022
Russian troops have entered Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv, say local officials.
A loud explosion was also heard in the city, where a gas pipeline is said to have been hit.
Air raid sirens have gone off in Kyiv, but the centre is relatively calm. However, an oil depot in Vasylkiv to the south of the capital was hit.
The fire prompted fears of toxic fumes and residents were warned to close their windows and stay indoors.
https://www.acn.news/toxic-fume-warning-in-ukraine-as-oil-depot-hit-in-russian-invasion-bbc-news/
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Remediating a fuel polluted military site in Ukraine
27 May. 2016
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_131612.htm
A military base in Ukraine established in 1975 serves as a fuel deposit, which supplies fuel to other military bases in its vicinity. This military base, located in the residential areas of Kyiv, has caused significant groundwater pollution and soil contamination. To help remedy this situation, an SPS flagship project– The Remediation of Hydrocarbon Polluted Military Site in Ukraine – was launched in 2012, as a joint cooperative activity between experts from France and Ukraine. Modern equipment has been provided by NATO to help Ukraine remediate the pollution caused by this facility.
“This project is not only about environmental security, it also ensures the safety of the local population located in residential areas in Kyiv,” explained Ambassador Dolhov. He further stressed the long-lasting impact of the SPS project that was led by the Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM) in France, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence and the Institute of geologic Sciences of Ukraine. After the completion of the remediation project, the competences acquired will be expanded to other military sites.
The pollution of soil and groundwater caused by the fuel deposit in the military site has been an important, complicated and difficult problem to tackle especially as this site is located in an urban area. The aim of this project has been to research and develop more efficient technologies to eliminate the pollution. The measurement of the geological and hydrogeological context will enable the development of a remediation model and the design of appropriate devices. The results of this project have enabled the Ukrainian experts to acquire the know-how and skills necessary to master these increasingly complex technologies and to expand these competencies to other sites.
“The NATO SPS Programme has played a key role, in providing Ukraine with the necessary expertise and capabilities to conduct the remediation of this site. I am pleased to see that this project provided the opportunity for young scientists to be engaged, and is an excellent example of successful civil-military cooperation”, Ambassador Ducaru stated with regard to the project.
The collaboration between the various institutions and experts participating in the project will enable a generation of young scientists to develop expertise in a critical security domain. It will build the capabilities of future generations to better protect the environment and populations.
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Drone footage of Ukrainian oil depot blaze shows scale of disaster (VIDEO)
10 Jun, 2015
https://www.rt.com/news/266332-ukraine-oil-fire-drone/
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Russia suspended from Council of Europe after invasion of Ukraine
Feb 26, 2022
https://eutoday.net/news/politics/2022/russia-suspended-from-council-of-europe-after-invasion-of-ukraine
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Land Annexation: United Nations Condemns Russia’s Move | Russian Invasion
Oct 13, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdOPa3CKsCI
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Ukraine: Threats to international peace and security: UN Security Council | Full
Sep 8, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx9thEuSvio
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EU agrees to freeze Putin, Lavrov assets over Ukraine
February 26, 2022
https://dailytimes.com.pk/891850/eu-agrees-to-freeze-putin-lavrov-assets-over-ukraine/
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Explainer: How rich is Putin, and can the West sanction his money in Ukraine crisis?
February 24, 2022
https://ph.news.yahoo.com/explainer-how-rich-is-putin-and-can-the-west-sanction-his-money-in-ukraine-crisis-164935356.html
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Russian central bank hikes rates and closes stock market as rouble crashes; oil and gas soar – as it happened
28 Feb 2022
https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2022/feb/28/oil-gold-prices-jump-russian-central-bank-hikes-rates-rouble-plummets-business-live
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Putin: Pay in roubles or we’ll cut off your gas | Latest International Headlines | WION
Mar 31, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UrX60soN_M
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RUSSIA – OIL PRICES to Rise to $200 Per Barrel as USA & Europe BAN RUSSIAN OIL
Mar 7, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtRzm2UsLdQ
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Russia’s Catastrophic Oil & Gas Problem
May 31, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo6w5R6Uo8Y
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Russia may have found a buyer for its cheap oil: India
March 14, 2022
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-may-have-found-a-buyer-for-its-cheap-oil-india/ar-AAV3bxe
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India in talks to buy discounted Russian crude oil
15th March 2022
Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the government was having conversations “at the appropriate level of the Russian Federation” regarding the purchase.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2022/mar/15/india-in-talks-to-buy-discounted-russian-crude-oil-2430445.html
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India ‘happy’ to buy crude, other goods from Russia as it struggles under sanctions
March 14, 2022
https://nypost.com/2022/03/14/india-happy-to-buy-crude-other-goods-from-russia-as-it-struggles-under-sanctions/
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Why is India so reluctant to criticize Russia? | DW News
Mar 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISJ7SupwB1g
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India plays both sides with America and Russia
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUHdQEzOa3A
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Vultures Are Circling the Ukraine Crisis
February 25, 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be a windfall for the U.S. oil and gas industry, and one corporate giant can barely contain its glee.
https://newrepublic.com/article/165487/russia-war-ukraine-us-oil-gas-profits
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Poland moves to block coal imports from Russia
March 29, 2022
https://www.news4jax.com/business/2022/03/29/poland-moves-to-block-coal-imports-from-russia/
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Ruble plummets as sanctions bite, sending Russians to banks
Feb 28, 2022
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/ruble-plummets-as-sanctions-bite-sending-russians-to-banks/ar-AAUpL50
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Putin hit by more misery – Ruble plummets as financial markets grapple crisis
Mar 21, 2022
THE STRUGGLING Russian currency has begun the week down against the dollar as trading cautiously resumes on Moscow’s financial markets.
https://www.express.co.uk/finance/city/1584003/russia-economy-ruble-central-bank-markets-moscow-exchange
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Embarrassing U-turn for Putin as Kremlin rows back on ruble ultimatum for EU
Mar 31, 2022
VLADIMIR PUTIN was forced to backtrack from threats of cutting out gas supplies to Europe unless EU countries switched to payments in rubles.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1589009/Vladimir-Putin-ruble-payments-gas-eu-imports-Russia-Ukraine-war
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Russia says its businesses can steal patents from anyone in ‘unfriendly’ countries
March 9, 2022
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/03/09/russia-allows-patent-theft/
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Russia Okays Patent Theft From “Unfriendly” Nations
March 10, 2022
https://www.joemygod.com/2022/03/russia-okays-patent-theft-from-unfriendly-nations/
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Kremlin says sanctions will cause Moscow problems but they can be solved
25-02-2022
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/headlines/1937319-kremlin-says-sanctions-will-cause-moscow-problems-but-they-can-be-solved
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Russia May Use Cryptocurrency to Evade Sanctions
February 25, 2022
https://www.investopedia.com/russia-may-use-cryptocurrency-to-evade-sanctions-5220265
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Raid on Miners Using Illegal Electricity in Ukraine! A New China Case?
July 3, 2021
Law enforcement in Ukraine has shut down a cryptocurrency mining farm that produces digital currency (cryptocurrency) using stolen electricity. The plant had more than 150 mining machines confiscated during a raid in the Chernihiv area. Will this attitude of Ukraine be reflected in the market? What does Ukraine think about cryptocurrencies? All and more in our news, have a good read…
https://coinotag.com/en/Is-it-a-new-case-of-genie-dominating-the-miners-using-leaked-electricity-in-ukraine%3F/
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Ukraine Uncovers Country’s Largest Illegal Mining Farm to Date – Mining Bitcoin News
July 11, 2021
https://crypto2days.com/ukraine-uncovers-countrys-largest-illegal-mining-farm-to-date-mining-bitcoin-news/
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Nobody Knows Who Operated This Illegal Crypto Mining Farm in Ukraine
12/03/2021
https://u.today/nobody-knows-who-operated-this-illegal-crypto-mining-farm-in-ukraine
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Thousands of PS4s seized in Ukraine in illegal cryptocurrency mining sting
July 14, 2021
The cryptocurrency farm was hidden in an old warehouse.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/thousands-of-ps4s-seized-in-ukraine-in-illegal-cryptocurrency-mining-sting/
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Ukraine Incarcerates Illegal Bitcoin Miners at Power Plant
Aug 24, 2019
The Ukrainian security authorities have detained cryptocurrency miners at a nuclear energy plant. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the law-enforcement agency and primary government security body in the fields of counterintelligence operation and fighting terrorism, arrested many people for illicitly mining Bitcoin and other digital assets at the country’s nuclear power plant (NPP).
According to the reports from Ukraine, the SBU swiped some insiders carrying out unlawful Bitcoin mining activities at the South-Ukraine NPP. The agency revealed that this operation has uncovered the sensitive security plans of the power plant…
https://coinidol.com/ukraine-incarcerates-illegal/
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Cryptocurrency Money Laundering Climbs 30% in 2021
27/01/2022
The role of DeFi in illegal transactions has increased.
In 2021, cyber criminals laundered over $8.6 billion worth of digital currencies.
https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/news/cryptocurrency-money-laundering-climbs-30-in-2021/
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Nearly $9bn Laundered in Cryptocurrency in 2021
27 Jan 2022
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/nearly-9bn-laundered-cryptocurrency/
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Money laundering made 0.05% of all crypto transactions in 2021
January 2022
https://currency.com/money-laundering-made-0-05-of-all-crypto-transactions-in-2021
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RUSSIA AND CHINA TO CREATE A BRICS GOLD STANDARD?
Apr 2, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-EMq1ytaRg
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Will The New Cold War Crash The U.S. Economy?
Mar 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0Yo3ciV6Kc
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How China Secretly Helped Russia Invade Ukraine
Mar 3, 2022
Leaked documents show that China not only knew about a Ukraine invasion, but asked Russia to wait until after the Olympics to do so. After the invasion didn’t go as planned, China quickly changed their tune to the public, but behind the scenes, put their full support behind Russia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBr2qf52Wrs
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China Gave US Intelligence to Russia | Ukraine Invasion
Mar 2, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ7toz8ZgVQ
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How China views the war now & how the conflict could lead to famine | Ukraine: The Latest | Podcast
May 31, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLHJHoaf8e0
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Russia said it’s pushing ahead with building a massive natural-gas pipeline to China as Western sanctions rock its economy
Mar 1, 2022
https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-china-gas-pipeline-sanctions-ukraine-putin-gazprom-soyuz-vostok-2022-3?op=1
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Chinese copper mine brings more pollution to Serbia
15.07.2021
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has called China a “savior.” The people around the Bor copper mine, however, fear for their future, as Bor is part of the strategic investments around China’s New Silk Road to Europe.
https://www.dw.com/en/chinese-copper-mine-brings-more-pollution-to-serbia/av-58243577
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Copper leaching from primary sulfides: Options for biological and chemical extraction of copper
September 2006
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222566711_Copper_leaching_from_primary_sulfides_Options_for_biological_and_chemical_extraction_of_copper
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Classification of Low-Grade Copper-Nickel Ore and Mining Waste by Ecological Hazard and Hydrometallurgical Processability
March 2020
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344094540_Classification_of_Low-Grade_Copper-Nickel_Ore_and_Mining_Waste_by_Ecological_Hazard_and_Hydrometallurgical_Processability
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THE IMPACT OF MINING ACTIVITY UPON THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT IN THE SOUTHERN APUSENI MOUNTAINS
2009
https://rrrs.reviste.ubbcluj.ro/arhive/Artpdf/v5n12009/RRRS051200906.pdf
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Pollution of the Marec River by Waters from Artana (Novo Bërda) Mine
2009
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Red Flags: Chinese Project In Serbia Raises Familiar Concerns About Beijing’s Balkan Investments
February 10, 2022
https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-china-investment-sewage-transparency-corrruption/31697677.html
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Protests against mining projects and pollution in Serbia
December 9, 2021
https://cignews.org/2021/12/09/protests-against-mining-projects-and-pollution-in-serbia/
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Serbia eco activists to camp out for lithium mining ban
Feb 10, 2022
https://swvatoday.com/lifestyles/technology/article_1234fe7d-6592-587d-ae45-6bbad14f695c.html
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The “Green Energy Revolution” is Creating Massive Global Demand for Lithium — its Most Precious Commodity
2022
Unfortunately, 80% of the World’s Lithium Market is Currently Controlled by Communist China
https://investingtrends.com/APHLF/the-green-energy-revolution-is-creating-massive-global-demand-for-lithium-5/?utm_campaign=APHLF_SPG&utm_source=82505&utm_medium=display&utm_content=china&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI09ycocm49gIVYuEYAh3JFAuPEAEYASAAEgJ3APD_BwE
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Cyanide pollution fears: Thousands of Romanians protest ‘biggest in Europe’ gold mine
8 Sep, 2013
Massive protests are gripping Romania against the government’s controversial decision to pave the way for a Canadian firm to build Europe’s largest opencast gold mine – which many fear may lead to an environmental disaster…
https://www.rt.com/news/cyanide-gold-romania-protest-585/
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The Dramatic Impact of Illegal Amber Mining in Ukraine’s Wild West
January 31st, 2017
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/illegal-amber-mining-ukraine
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Ukraine’s illegal amber mining boom is scarring the earth and making criminal gangs rich
20 Jan 2020
The pine-beech forests which once surrounded Klessiw in northern Ukraine were fertile ground for the berries and mushrooms which sustained generations.
Now those forests and the rich farming lands which ran alongside them have been razed to the ground. In their place, there’s a moonscape of pox scars in the earth itself.
Where once there were foragers and farmers, now there are miners. The prize they’re after is amber — 10,000-year-old fossilised tree resin.
Illegal amber mining in Ukraine is devastating the landscape near Klessiw.
Waterlogged amber pits pock the landscape outside Klessiw where forests once stood.
A half-billion-dollar black market
Much of the amber is smuggled out of the country, usually over the border into Poland, and then sold to wealthy buyers from the Middle East and China.
Amber is now traded on a black market valued at $US500 million a year. There are estimates Ukraine is losing as much as 1 million euros a day in foregone royalties. For Europe’s poorest economy, which is locked into a conflict on its eastern border with Russia, this is money Kiev can’t afford to lose.
Anti-corruption detective Olena Krolovetskaya said Kiev had vastly insufficient control over its mineral assets.
“The amber industry is the most corrupted industry in Ukraine,” she said. “There is no regulation.”
An ‘environmental disaster’
The cost of the amber racket is tangible. The locals in Klessiw feel little trust in government and almost none in the police. They’re afraid of being arrested and they’re afraid of being shot. Many carry firearms.
But for the landscape of the Rivne province, the effects are potentially even more profound.
High-pressure water is used to blast through the sandy soil, floating amber to the surface.
“If they want to mine in some areas, so [the] state forestry [agency] will cut the area for them,” Vasiliev said.
“They show them the area, and tell them to cut the forest, and they do it.”
He told the ABC he was explaining this so that “you can understand their level [of influence]”.
Even residential zones are not immune to the lure of the stones. In Klessiw, the scarred and pocked amber fields stretch right to the edge of private homes.
In a country with only 33,000 square kilometres of land protected from development, the pillaging of state forests represents a profound challenge.
In August, the head of the federal police, Sergei Knyazev, warned the destruction was so acute Ukraine faced the prospect of needing to declare the north of the country an “environmental disaster area”.
He decried the “catastrophic consequences” of amber mining and cited the destruction of more than 6,200 hectares of forest and more than 1,000 hectares of agricultural land.
The scarred earth where green forests once stood. The trees are gone because of amber mining.
The scarred earth where green forests once stood. The trees are gone because of amber mining
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Ukraine mafia score big with illegal amber mines
21/02/2017
In northwestern Ukraine, hundreds of acres of forest have been destroyed by illegal amber mining. This precious stone, which derives from fossilized tree sap, sells for a lot of money on the black market. This illegal trade has blossomed in the atmosphere of the general chaos that has enveloped the country since widespread protests in 2014 — and is now spiralling out of control.
The majestic pine forests of northwestern Ukraine, filled with fir trees that often stand several dozen metres tall, have been under attack since 2014. Hundreds of acres of forest have been cleared since 2014, when the power balance in the country was upset by huge protests that took place in Kiev’s Maidan Square. The unrest triggered a series of events leading to the removal of former president Viktor Yanukovich. However, since then, Ukraine’s new government has struggled to show any real authority.
While still in power, Yanukovich presided over a widespread system of corruption that held a tight grip on both legal and illegal mining operations in the country, according to several different sources interviewed by FRANCE 24. Since his departure, however, disorder has spread across the country and the government’s control over police, border guards and park rangers has weakened.
Miners dig for amber. This screenshot is from footage filmed by activists from the AutoMaidan group.
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Amber digging – Kmecha tract, Rivne region
Jun 8, 2015
Hundreds of miners try to extract amber using nets and shovels in a forest near Klessiv (in Rivne).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu_AIRMWC1E&t=11s
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Illegal Mining: Organized Crime, Corruption, And Ecocide In A Resource-Scarce World
2020
https://clcjbooks.rutgers.edu/books/illegal-mining-organized-crime-corruption-and-ecocide-in-a-resource-scarce-world/
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Land-use changes in Northern Ukraine: patterns and dynamics of illegal amber mining during 1986–2016
22 July 2021
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10661-021-09317-2
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Environmental Impacts of Amber Mining in Ukraine
December 2, 2015
https://greentumble.com/environmental-impacts-of-amber-mining-in-ukraine/
The negative environmental impacts of amber mining
The primary negative environmental impacts of amber mining in the Ukraine are due to the deforestation that occurs as people work to uncover the amber from the soil.
These negative impacts include:
#1 Soil erosion and reduced watershed protection
Soil erosion is likely to happen because there are no more trees, soil litter, or other vegetation to hold in and protect the soil.
When it rains, topsoil just runs off into rivers and streams, and there is no remaining vegetation in these areas to help protect nearby communities from flooding.
#2 Loss of forest habitat and habitat fragmentation
The loss of forest habitat leads to a reduction in plant and wildlife populations, and can result in an overall loss of biodiversity, some of which may not easily rebound even if the forests regrow. The wildlife that are present in these forest ecosystems may become more vulnerable to predation and to hunting from people.
As forest habitat becomes increasingly fragmented, the remaining intact forest habitat becomes more vulnerable to fires and other destructive weather events, and the fragmented forests result in fragmented wildlife populations that are isolated from each other.
#3 Negative impacts on local and regional water cycles
When large numbers of trees are cut down in forests, the local precipitation and water cycles are impacted because trees help to retain moisture in the atmosphere, facilitating precipitation events like rain.
With fewer trees, an area may become much more vulnerable to drought due to altered precipitation cycles.
#4 Increased carbon emissions
As trees are removed, there are fewer opportunities to sequester carbon, and by burning the trees, the carbon that that trees were storing is released into the atmosphere, increasing the total levels of carbon emissions in the atmosphere.
It has been estimated that deforestation around the world today contributes to 15% of greenhouse gases globally.
Why is amber mining happening?
Poor people can earn a lot of money through the illegal amber mining that is often not otherwise possible. The Ukrainian people have struggled with a great deal of war, conflict, and instability in their lives, and the $500 million per year illegal amber mining activities allows them to support their families and find a way out of poverty.
In some cases, the corruption of local government officials has facilitated these illegal amber mining activities.
Some solutions to reduce unsustainable amber mining
Fortunately, the Ukrainian national government has recently become aware of these issues and is now starting to take action on the illegal and destructive amber mining activities. There are raids of these illegal amber mining operations going on as well as a confiscation of illegal amber.
It is important to create effective laws, policies, and implementation that crack down on illegal amber mining in the Ukraine, and to encourage sustainable ways of obtaining amber that aren’t destructive to the environment.
It is important to educate the Ukrainian public about the negative environmental impacts of these destructive amber mining activities and how such activities can hurt themselves and their communities in the long term.
It is also important to work on the demand side of the amber supply chain by increasing public and buyer awareness of these deforestation issues surrounding the mining of amber. To facilitate best practices in amber production, a third-party certification scheme could be created to certify sustainably produced amber, as is currently being done in other industries such as in the forestry industry and in the palm oil industry.
Because much of this illegal and destructive amber mining is largely occurring due to poverty situations, there should also be community development resources created for these communities that sustainably provide a living wage and can assist people in lifting themselves out of poverty.
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Metal production in Ukraine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_production_in_Ukraine
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Ukraine Mineral & Mining Sector Investment And Business Guide (World Business, Investment And Government Library)|USA International Business Publications
https://studiorc.co/Ukraine-Mineral-&-Mining-Sector-Investment-And-Business-Guide-(World-Business,-Investment-And-Government-Library)%7CUSA-International-Business-Publications.php3
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Northern Europe’s Historic Focus on “Baltic gold”
August 21, 2020
https://www.rockngem.com/northern-europes-historic-focus-on-baltic-gold/
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Latvian president says NATO troop presence needed in Baltics
03/13/22
https://thehill.com/policy/international/598032-latvian-president-says-nato-troop-presence-needed-in-baltics-permanently
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Exxon, OMV Petrom spud Romanian well
October 28, 2014
https://www.oedigital.com/news/454310-exxon-omv-petrom-spud-romanian-well
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Prospex makes gas discovery in Romania
28 November 2017
https://www.hydrocarbons-technology.com/news/prospex-makes-gas-discovery-romania/
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Rocks and minerals found in Romania
February 13, 2015
https://romaniaearthhazards.blogspot.com/2015/02/rocks-and-minerals-found-in-romania.html
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Mines were once the beating heart of eastern Ukraine. Now they are ticking time bomb.
May 16, 2021
TORETSK, Ukraine — A rusty winch slowly raises the elevator nearly 4,000 feet from the depths of the Tsentralna coal mine in Toretsk, a city of 67,000 people in the Donbas, an industrial region in eastern Ukraine.
As the giant cage reaches the top of the shaft, dozens of lights appear from the darkness, shining from helmets and flashlights as the miners, covered in black dust, step off and head to the showers, their workday finally over. On their way, they nod to their colleagues starting the day shift, who are waiting to make the descent.
During the Soviet era, the Donbas — short for Donetsk Basin — was a crucially important hub for heavy industry. Tens of thousands of people worked in the more than 200 coal mines that operated across the region.
The mines, once the beating heart of the region, where giant mountains of metal waste known as slag still dot the landscape, now represent a looming environmental catastrophe.
Across the Donbas, neglected and abandoned mines are filling with toxic groundwater, environmentalists warn. The water, filled with heavy metals and other pollutants, threatens to contaminate the drinking water from rivers and wells in the area, as well as the surrounding soil, making the land unfit for farming. Meanwhile, dangerous methane gas from the mines is being pushed to the surface, threatening to cause earthquakes and explosions.
Vasyl Chynchyk, the head of Toretsk’s Civil-Military Administration, told NBC News that out of the seven mines that once surrounded the city, only two, the Tsentralna and the Toretska mines, are still operational — the last vestiges of the area’s once-thriving industry.
To prevent disaster, local authorities have had to continually pump water out of the mines.
“If we drown, Tsentralna will drown after us,” said Yuriy Vlasov, an engineer at the decommissioned Nova mine, which now serves as a pumping station. After that, toxic water will flow into the Kryvyi Torets River and the Siverskyi Donets River, “where the whole Donbas drinks,” he said.
“Our only option is to keep pumping the water out.”
Danger underground
Although experts predict that the worst environmental effects may not occur for another five to 10 years, the first signs of a possible catastrophe have already been spotted in the Donbas.
In 2018, water from two flooded mines in the occupied part of Luhansk province broke into the nearby Zolote mine, flooding it as well, according to the Ukrainian Ministry for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories. Since then, coal extraction there has been halted.
The following year, residents of Makiivka, a coal-mining city in the occupied part of Donetsk province, complained about a series of tremors shaking the area. Mykhailo Volynets, the head of Ukraine’s Independent Trade Union of Miners, told Ukrainian media at the time that separatists had failed to properly close the mines in the area, which made the ground above the mining tunnels unstable.
And in 2020, a series of gas explosions occurred in the basements of residential buildings in the Luhansk region. The explosions were caused by mine waters pushing methane gas to the surface, according to Pavlo Lysyansky, the government’s human rights watchdog overseeing the occupied territories.
Yermakov, the scientist, said one mine in the occupied area of Donetsk province is of particular concern: the Yunkom mine, which he named one of the most dangerous in the region.
In 1979, Soviet authorities conducted a controlled nuclear detonation inside the mine, leaving a potentially radioactive capsule some 3,000 feet underground.
The mine was closed in 2002, but pumping stations continued to keep the mine free of water.
A 2017 report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe noted that water drainage operations at Yunkom and more than two dozen other mines in the Donetsk region had been disrupted during the conflict in eastern Ukraine. And in 2018, the separatist-led People’s Council of Donetsk ruled that the Yunkom mine would be flooded, due to a lack of financing needed to continue pumping the waters out.
Yermakov said this decision put the whole region in danger of radioactive contamination.
The press service for the area’s separatist-led coal and energy ministry told NBC News that a new underground pumping station at Yunkom is under construction.
But former President Kravchuk told the U.N. in February that the damage from Yunkom may already be done.
“The radiation may have already infiltrated the drinking waters of the region,” he said. “The Donbas is on the verge of environmental disaster, caused not only by war, but also by environmental pollution.”
A delicate balance
In Toretsk, the miners at the Tsentralna mine fill plastic bottles with filtered water — not only to drink during their shift, but also to take home. Local residents buy bottled water from the stores. Only the bravest dare to drink water from the tap, people joke.
For most residents, however, the potential for environmental catastrophe is not the most pressing concern.
Occupied by Russian-backed separatists in 2014, then retaken by the Ukrainian army, the city bears the scars of the long-simmering conflict. The local council building was destroyed in the fighting, and many other buildings were damaged. The reality of war is ever present — Ukrainian soldiers have set up a base on the site of one of the closed mines on the outskirts of the city.
A constant battle
The situation is compounded by the Donbas’ history of conflict and economic calamity.
In recent decades, many of the mines in the Donbas have shut down, sinking the region into economic depression. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014 brought even more devastation. More than 14,000 people have died in the ensuing conflict, according to the United Nations. In April, a Russian troop buildup near the Ukrainian border raised tensions once again.
“Businesses do not rush to invest money in a region affected by war,” Chynchyk said.
The Ukrainian government has lost control of dozens of coal mines in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Eighty-eight out of 121 mines currently in existence in the Donbas are now controlled by Russian-backed separatists, according to Ukraine’s Energy Ministry.
Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, who is also the minister for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, and Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of Ukraine and the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk, told the United Nations in February that separatist groups are closing a number of those mines without the necessary preparations to make them safe. The Trilateral Contact Group is working to facilitate a resolution to the conflict in the region.
“You can’t just close a mine and forget about it, because the risks are too high,” said Yevhen Yakovlev, a hydrogeologist who works at the natural resources department of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. “Mine waters will rise, pollute the drinking water and destroy the soil.”
Serhiy Pylypets, a miner at the Tsentralna mine, said that battling water is a constant part of the job. The deeper that miners dig, the more water comes in through open shafts and from underground rivers and other water sources.
Because of this, the process of closing a mine typically requires years of preparation. And even after mining operations cease, water from the decommissioned mine must still be continually pumped out.
In Donetsk, the press service for the area’s separatist-led coal and energy ministry said that it had closed 20 mines since 2015, 18 of which it said had been destroyed during attacks by the Ukrainian army.
“There is no problem with the flooded mines. We have been working to pump water out of the mines and construct new pumping stations,” the press service said.
Nazar Voloshyn, head of the Joint Forces Operation of the Ukrainian Army, said that the Ukrainian army has never attacked civil infrastructure in the Donbas.
Ukrainian experts dispute the assertion that the mines in separatist-controlled regions are being handled appropriately. They say separatists have stopped pumping water out of at least a dozen mines and have not allowed them access to the sites to monitor the situation.
“According to our measurements of the water levels in the region, the pumping stations there [in occupied parts of the Donbas] are out of order,” said Viktor Yermakov, an environmental scientist and a member of the Trilateral Contact Group.
“The governing body that rules over the territories must keep the pumping operations under control.”
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Coal Mines, Land Mines and Nuclear Bombs: The Environmental Cost of the War in Eastern Ukraine
September 26, 2019
https://www.fpri.org/article/2019/09/coal-mines-land-mines-and-nuclear-bombs-the-environmental-cost-of-the-war-in-eastern-ukraine/
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8 of Europe’s 10 dirtiest coal power plants are in Ukraine
2021/09/17
https://euromaidanpress.com/2021/09/17/8-of-europes-10-dirtiest-coal-power-plants-are-in-ukraine-the-state-continues-subsidizing-them/
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Ukraine among countries responsible for major coal power air pollution in Europe – analysts
25.05.21
https://www.unian.info/economics/ukraine-among-countries-responsible-for-major-coal-power-air-pollution-in-europe-analysts-11432380.html
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Ukraine’s air pollution problem, mainly caused by coal-fired plants, in desperate need of solutions
19 Oct 2020
The air in Ukraine is worse than anywhere else in Europe. The World Health Organisation ranks Ukraine as the country with the highest health impact from air pollution in Europe. With almost one third of the air pollution produced by energy generation, cutting emissions from power plants has to be the first step in dealing with this health hazard.
With 70% of Ukraine’s primary energy consumption coming from various fossil fuels, which in turn emit an enormous volume of pollutants into the air, it is safe to say that fossil fuels are the main culprit of the country’s air pollution. Coal-fired power plants lead the way: the massive fleet of 20 plants constantly pumps sulphur dioxide, dust and nitrous oxides into the air…
According to the World Health Organisation’s information on mortality and the burden of disease from ambient air pollution for 2016, Ukraine has 2,538 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost annually per 100,000 people. This is the highest number in Europe and is mostly driven by Ukraine’s fossil fuel addiction…
It is high time for Ukraine’s government to take the air pollution problem seriously and to take concrete measures to reduce emissions at the source. This is a long and expensive process, regardless of whether it includes bringing the emissions from the power plants down to legal limits or replacing them with renewable capacities. However, further delays must not be tolerated by any party involved, including the international community. As long as Ukraine’s dangerous emissions continue unabated, people will continue to pay the cost with their lives…
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Health Impacts of Coal Power Plant Emissions in Ukraine
09/21
https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/health-impacts-of-coal-power-plant-emissions-in-ukraine/
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Abandoned coal mines in Ukraine war zone at risk of spilling toxic waters within months unless pumping resumes
February 28, 2022
Satellite monitoring of mines in Donbas region of Ukraine reveals ‘alarming’ rise in levels of toxic floodwaters
https://inews.co.uk/news/russia-ukraine-war-mines-toxic-wastewater-1485034
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The Return of the Illegal Mines in Ukraine
6 March, 2019
There’s a growing problem with illegal coal mining in northern Luhansk and law enforcement don’t appear to be doing anything about it.
https://en.hromadske.ua/posts/the-return-of-the-illegal-mines-in-ukraine
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TOXIC AND POTENTIALLY TOXIC ELEMENTS IN THE COAL OF THE SEAM c8H OF THE “BLAGODATNA” MINE OF PAVLOHRAD-PETROPAVLIVKA GEOLOGICAL AND INDUSTRIAL AREA
January 2020
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341350562_TOXIC_AND_POTENTIALLY_TOXIC_ELEMENTS_IN_THE_COAL_OF_THE_SEAM_c8H_OF_THE_BLAGODATNA_MINE_OF_PAVLOHRAD-PETROPAVLIVKA_GEOLOGICAL_AND_INDUSTRIAL_AREA
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The paradox threatening Ukraine’s post-coal future
8 January 2022
At COP26, President Zelenskyy promised Ukraine would stop using coal by 2035
https://globalvoices.org/2022/01/08/the-paradox-threatening-ukraines-post-coal-future/
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INVENTORY OF METHANE EMISSIONS FROM COAL MINES IN UKRAINE: 1990-2001
August 2002
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-04/documents/inventory2002.pdf
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Ukraine’s power sector is set for a major transition
June 20, 2018
https://energypost.eu/ukraines-power-sector-is-set-for-a-major-transition/
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Candace Owens was contacted by the NY Times for saying Ukraine is corrupt. She responds by sourcing the Ukraine corruption from New York Times articles
March 2022
https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/tkae5m/candace_owens_was_contacted_by_the_ny_times_for/
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Latvian bank’s role in controversial Ukraine tenders under scrutiny
12 June 2012
Questions are growing over the role played by Latvia’s Trasta Komercbanka in controversial Ukrainian state tenders in 2011 allegedly involving the embezzlement of hundreds of millions of dollars…
https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/46-ccwatch/crime-corruption-updates/1554-latvian-banks-role-in-controversial-ukraine-tenders-under-scrutiny
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Former Ukrainian PM Tymoshenko Accused of Treason
21 March 2012
Ukraine’s parliament deepened allegations against former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko when they voted on Tuesday that her 2009 negotiations on gas imports from Russia constitute treason.
Tymoshenko, the country’s opposition leader, has been serving a seven year prison sentence since October after she was found guilty of abusing her office in the 2009 gas deal with Russia…
https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/1437-former-ukrainian-pm-tymoshenko-accused-of-treason
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Ukraine accuses former president Poroshenko of treason
20 Dec 2021
Ukrainian authorities accuse Petro Poroshenko of having helped pro-Russian separatists sell coal to Kyiv.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/20/ukraine-accuses-former-president-poroshenko-of-treason
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Ukraine: Companies Tied to President’s Son Receive Coal Plants For Free
02 November 2012
https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/1698-ukraine-companies-tied-to-presidents-son-receive-coal-plants-for-free
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Coal in Ukraine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_in_Ukraine
Coal mining has historically been an important industry in Ukraine. Coal mining in Ukraine is often associated with coal-rich Donets basin. However this is not the only coal mining region, other being Lviv-Volhynian basin and Dnieper brown coal mining basin. The Donets basin located in the eastern Ukraine is the most developed and much bigger coal mining region in the country.
Ukraine was until recently, the third largest coal producer in Europe. In 1976, national production was 218 million metric tonnes. By 2016, production had dropped to 41 million metric tonnes. The Donets Black Coal Basin in the eastern Ukraine, with 90% of the nation’s reserves, suffers from three connected problems: (1) mines are not profitable enough to sustain capital investment, resulting in twenty-year old mining equipment and processes, (2) the government, taking advice from the International Monetary Fund, has discontinued $600 million annual mining subsidies, and (3) the Ukrainian government refuses to buy from mines controlled by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic.
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Ukraine’s toxic waters: How not to phase out coal
December 22, 2021
In war-torn Ukraine, shuttered mines in the Donbas region threaten to unleash an ecological disaster.
“Before the war started, I used to water my garden with it, but now it’s unusable,” said 82-year-old pensioner Lyudmila Ivanovna Tarasova, sighing as she gestured toward the Komyshuvakha River, where the flowing water is an unsettling orange. Tarasova lives in a little wooden house on the outskirts of Zolote, in eastern Ukraine. The Komyshuvakha that runs close by is a tributary of the Severskiy Donets River, itself the main freshwater source for the war-torn region of Donbas. In recent weeks, the easternmost part of Ukraine has found itself once again in the spotlight, with fears of a Russian invasion mounting following an unprecedented buildup of troops at the border.
Home to some 6.5 million inhabitants, Donbas has long been Ukraine’s biggest industrial hub and a major coal producer. Over 200 years, an estimated 15 billion tons of the fossil fuel has been extracted from the region. After the fall of the Soviet Union, many of Donbas’ mines became unprofitable and shuttered. Since conflict broke out between the Ukrainian state and Russian-backed separatists nearly seven years ago, many more have fallen into disuse and disrepair. What might initially sound like a win for the environment has become a testament to the ecological disaster that can ensue when mine closures are poorly managed.
Hundreds of thousands at risk from contaminated waters
When a mine ceases to operate, water must be constantly pumped out of the underground shafts and chambers to prevent them from flooding. Groundwater that does enter can become contaminated with heavy metals, which may then permeate underground aquifers and the surrounding soils, rendering them unusable for farming. A 2019 report by Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies called chemical contamination from flooded mines an “urgent threat” to at least 300,000 people in separatist-held-areas, while every fourth resident near the contact line — a stretch of land that separates government and non-government-controlled territories — already lacks a reliable source of drinking water.
“The incidence of diseases such as acute gastrointestinal infections, especially in children under 4 years old, is already dozens of times higher than the average in Ukraine,” said hydrogeologist Evgeny Yakovlev, a senior research fellow at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, of the situation in Donbas. In 2017, Yakovlev led the last comprehensive survey of coal mine flooding and its impact on water quality in Donbas. Its findings were dire. “Ninety percent of the water sampled outside of the centralized supply system is not drinkable,” he told DW.
Most of the Donbas region’s water originates from the 300-kilometer (186-mile) Siverskyi Donets–Donbas canal, run and maintained by Ukrainian municipal public company Voda Donbasu. However, the waterway is located within the front-line zone and therefore regularly damaged by fighting. This has forced people to rely on contaminated well waters.
Yakovlev’s study was the last one to be conducted on both side of the front line and, since 2017, no data has been made available on environmental degradation in the territories outside of Ukrainian control. However, over the past few years, the Ukrainian government has repeatedly accused the authorities of the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk of closing mines without the necessary environmental precautions.
Radioactive rivers?
Of particular concern is the Yunkom coal mining complex in Yenakiieve, where in 1979 Soviet authorities detonated a 0.3 kiloton nuclear bomb underground in a bid to free methane gas. In 2018, separatist authorities decided to end the costly maintenance of the mine. Ukrainian officials have said that move has led to water pouring into the complex’s lower levels, with groundwater already contaminated and potentially carrying active radionuclides, formed by the bomb, into the Kalmius and Seversky Donets rivers and even beyond to the Black Sea.
The Energy Ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), meanwhile, has denied there is any problem. “Environmental degradation in the DPR, unlike the difficult environmental situation in modern Ukraine, is not occurring,” it told DW.
Dumping polluted water into the Komyshuvakha
Yet, some believe that it’s easier for the Ukrainian authorities to blame the separatists than to address the problems that also exist on their side of the front line. Representatives from the government seem at times more concerned with fiery rhetoric than cross-border cooperation to solve those issues, according to Benoit Gerfault, coordinator for French humanitarian NGO ACTED. And with networks of mines interconnected, damage and neglect on one side of the conflict line can quickly become a problem for the whole country.
In May 2018, water from the flooded Rodina and Holubovska coal mines, located behind separatist lines, rushed into the Zolote mine in government-held territory at a speed of 2,000 cubic meters per hour. Unable to cope with the deluge, treatment facilities at Zolote have been pumping out contaminated mine water around-the-clock ever since — and dumping it, untreated, into the Komyshuvakha River, according to local media reports.
Recent analysis by investigative nonprofit Truth Hounds found that the Komyshuvakha far exceeded Ukrainian legal safety standards for chlorides, sulfates and manganese. “Even for technical purposes, for livestock, there’s no more water,” said Oleksii Babchenko, head of the civil-military administration of Zolote. “No way to water the crops, either.”
As the river’s contamination has grown increasingly visible, locals are seeking water elsewhere. “For my garden, I now use collected rainwater,” said pensioner Tarasova. For cooking she boils water from a local stream, but for drinking she relies on bottled water from the store in Zolote — a considerable walk away for a woman of 82. “It’s not easy, but what choice do I have?” she said.
Explosions and subsidence
The flooding of Donbas’ coal mines has also led to the displacement and buildup of methane gas, increasing the risk of explosions and earthquakes. When groundwater levels rise, the submerged soils lose density and start shifting, causing seismic activity. “When you go down in the mines here in Zolote, it smells of gas, as if someone had left the stove on in a kitchen,” said Babchenko.
And then there is subsidence. When shafts in heavily mined regions collapse due to flooding, the ground surface above them begins to shift and sink. According to some estimates a total area of 12,000 hectares (around 29,000 acres, or 46 square miles) in Donbas is threatened with subsidence.
The OSCE has warned that this could lead to landslides and sinkholes, as well as the failure of engineering and communication infrastructure — gas lines, sewage and water supply systems. Hydrogeologist Yakovlev said entire cities could become uninhabitable. “As the ground is sinking, cracks have started appearing on the buildings,” Babchenko said of Zolote. “One of the local schools is in need of constant repairs.”
Just transition in a war zone
At the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow last month, Ukraine committed to giving up coal by 2035. But officials say winding up the two-century industry in Donbas and ensuring a “just transition” away from fossil fuels that would secure workers’ rights and livelihoods is a challenge unlike that faced by other coal-producing countries.
Despite regular shelling, Zolote’s remaining coal mines still employ around 3,500 people, according to Babchenko. The official said shuttering them without massive investment would be a socioeconomic disaster. “We need to invest both in an environmentally safe way to close down the mines, and in social and employment programs for the workers,” he said. “Many people talk to us about the experience of France, Germany and England,” Babchenko added. “But let’s not forget that in none of these regions was there an active military conflict.”
https://frontline.thehindu.com/dispatches/ukraine-toxic-waters-how-not-to-phase-out-coal/article38010525.ece#!
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Environmental Assessment of the Impact of Tars on the Territory of the Rozdil State Mining and Chemical Enterprise “Sirka” (Ukraine)
25 January 2019
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-11274-5_13
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Cross-border mafia: the kings of acid tar
11/03/2016
A Hungarian oligarch, Russian businessmen, and a Ukrainian deputy minister. Middle-ranking civil servants, police businessmen, and state entrepreneurs. They all took part in an elaborated and well-organized scheme of bringing hazardous waste to Ukraine.
Prehistory
Documents in our possession show that two Ukrainian companies, Spetsservis (Special Service), a state enterprise of the Ministry of Interior, and NPP Osma Oil, limited liability company, imported over 23,000 tons of tars and maleic anhydride sludge from Hungary in 2001 to 2003.
Three foreign companies served as guarantors and suppliers: Geohidroterv Kft, Metratek Kft and Roscop Inc. These firms concluded deals on organizing reception and disposal of maleic anhydride residuals and neutralized tar residuals with Osma Oil, and an agreement with Spetsservis on handling the reception and utilization of tar.
It is commonly known that acid tar is hazardous waste generated during petroleum product refining by vitriol oil.
The state company Spetsservis took a lease on a land plot at Sirka, a state mining and chemical company in Novyi Rozdil, until 2005; this is where they dispatched more than 17,000 tons of tars. They managed to burn away just several tons, while the rest was allegedly converted into a modifier by mixing up with clay, earth, lime, or coal.
Spetsservis succeeded in transporting about 900 tons to Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova, while the rest of the hazardous waste is still kept in the open air. As Sirka director said, the company under the Ministry of Interior keeps ignoring his demands to take the ‘goods’ away.
NPP Osma Oil, in its term, ‘concluded an agreement on receiving and unloading railroad carriages with Prykarpatbud’, a state company in Drohobych. The businessmen also brought the waste to another company, joint stock company Zahidenergo’s thermoelectric plant in Dobrotvir, to burn away. The plant was not controlled by Rinat Akhmetov yet, with 70 per cent of shares still owned by the state.
Osma Oil also ‘transformed’ its cargo into a modifier, a part of it deposited for storage via a private entrepreneur to the joint stock company Lvivpokizol; the company is still unable to get rid of the waste, though the contract expired in 2005. The waste remains at the open air in Stryi district.
The rest of Osma Oil’s cargo travelled to a metallurgic equipment factory in Seredyna Buda (joint stock company Seredinobuds’kyy Zavod Metalurhiynoho Obladnannya), Sumy region. The freight is still there, and no one owns it in fact, as the company has been closed down.
Documents that Zahidenergo shared with us indicate that the company had won a number of trials against Osma Oil, resulting in annulment of the contract on tar supplies and burning and a subsequent court order to Osma Oil to remove the waste out of the plant.
Prykarpatbud has also won a trial, something that should force Osma Oil to take away their cargo. However, we have seen with our own eyes the waste still dumped at the open air, in close proximity of living houses.
The company has not fulfilled any of courts’ decisions, as it was declared bankrupt in 2006. An insolvency receiver failed to find managers, documents, stamps, or seals of Osma Oil.
A criminal investigation was launched on importing hazardous waste to Ukraine in 2005. It was stopped in 2012, in the absence of crime components.
You won’t burn it!
– The smudge filled my lungs, my eyes tearing. It was impossible to breathe. Doctors started to diagnose pneumonia or lung inflammation in my colleagues a day after, – says Orest Venchak who worked at Sirka’s workshop of high-modulus cryolite and had a first-hand experience of the story. – We refusing burning up these matters after two days.
– There was an overwhelming unemployment in Novyi Rozdil, while this company paid immense money for unloading, – remembers Anatoliy Shalayev, a local councillor. Lots of trains arrived at Sirka. It was a cushy number, as worker just had to work two to three hours a day. After several days of shovelling they could earn a two-months salary. However, the easy money turned into a hell after a week, with their bodies breaking out in a rash, workers’ having burning pain in the chest and a fever.
As trains with unknown cargoes kept arriving, the public revolted.
– People protested in front of the city council with posters saying No to the New Chernobyl in Novyi Rozdil in 2001. We had a great struggle then, – said Shalayev.
Spetsservis chose this community for a reason. With an experience of extracting sulphur since 1952, the town had a huge number of depleted pits suitable for burying anything.
Workers of a local brickyard (joint stock company Rozdilskyy Tsehelnyy Zavod, previously a branch of Sirka) were also exposed to the obscure freight. Zinoviy Seretnyy, the-then union leader, said that workers had to admix the matters when producing bricks. However, workers refused working and sent a joint letter to the management after having breathing problems.
– It was difficult even for me, a local councillor, to find out what kind of cargo it was and why they wanted to burn it away so quickly, – remembers Anatoliy Shalayev. – We learnt some days later that people are going through the same processes at a cement plant in Mykolaiv. Workers also revolted there.
Altogether, around 300 carriages arrived at Sirka. In a meanwhile, tars from Hungary reached another part of Lviv region.
– Workers from Dobrotvir thermoelectric plant called me and asked for help. They told me about trains with unrecognized cargoes, – recalls Dmitry Skrylnikov, a lawyer. – Workers who had unloaded the trains were having health problems.
Russian executors
– Two representatives from Hungary accompanied the cargoes, – said Orest Venchak from Sirka. – Artyushchik mostly was silent. Igor Nechaev was in charge, a short stature man with a small beard. They spoke in Russian.
As mentioned above, Spetsservis and Osma Oil had the ‘tar contracts’ with Geohidroterv Kft, Metratek Kft and Roscop Inc. On behalf of the latter one, the contracts were signed by the director. His name was Igor Nechaev.
The trade register of Hungary indicates that Igor Nechaev and Vladimir Artyushchik also co-owned METRATEK Kft at that time.
They also have come to light in Ukraine.
Nechaev is a part-owner in Inter-Invest, a joint stock company registered in Lviv. He declared Verkhnyaya Pyshma in Sverdlovskaya region, Russia, as his home town.
His colleague Artyushchik, a co-owner of Interkom-Servis joint stock company in Lviv, was also registered in the same region.
The two organizations mention wholesale trade and waste treatment among their activities.
Nechaev also has contributed to Osma Oil, as he worked as an operating technologist there some time ago.
Interestingly, Boris Nikolenko, the Spetsservis director, and his ‘Hungarian’ partners decided to alter the tars after the revolt of workers in Novyi Rozdil. This is when the ‘technical provisions for application of MG modifier in producing construction materials and asphaltic concrete’ were affixed with the seal of Inter Invest (Nechaev a co-owner) which undertook the business of mixing up tars at Sirka.
Perhaps, businessmen enjoyed full support from the management of the mining and chemical plant in Rozdil, as Aleksandra Halechko, the wife of the-then Sirka’s director Bohdan Halechko, was yet another co-owner of Inter Invest.
Nechaev and Artyushchik feature at the portal of Russian inventors as co-authors of two patents: “hydrometallurgical obtainment of zinc” and “processing silicate matters that contain colored metals”.
The list of the patent co-authors also includes Hungarian nationals: Kaplony Miklós and Imre Fazakas, who also co-owned METRATEK Kft at that time, according to Hungarian registers. It was Kaplony who signed the agreement with Osma Oil…
https://www.anticoruptie.md/en/investigations/social/cross-border-mafia-the-kings-of-acid-tar
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Toxic sludge catastrophe in Hungary
8 October 2010
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2010/10/hung-o08.html
Hungary declared a state of emergency in three western counties on Tuesday following a flood of toxic alumina sludge from an industrial site that killed four villagers and injured many more.
The disaster occurred late on Monday when a reservoir burst at the huge Ajkai Timfoldgyar Zrt aluminium plant, located around 165 kilometres west of Budapest. The reservoir released a tidal wave of thick red sludge, which immediately mixed with floodwaters that have built up in the region for days. The sludge-infected tide then flowed through several villages—leaving some places buried under a one-and-a-half-metre layer of toxic waste.
It is estimated that at least 1 million cubic metres of the sludge, a mixture of lead and other heavy metals, contaminated an area covering 40 square kilometres. The poisonous red sludge currently covers streets, fields and meadows. The wave of sludge washed away cars and swept away bridges and houses while leaving many other houses badly damaged.
Residents of the affected villages reported that they jumped out of windows to run to higher ground when they heard the roar of the floods. According to the Interior Ministry, the sludge killed at least four people, including a three-year-old child. Six people are still reported missing and 120 injured were treated in hospitals, in some cases for burns that stripped human skin to the bone. Hundreds of people either lost their homes or were forced to abandon them. Hungarian authorities report that a total of 7,000 people have been affected.
The head of the Hungarian Environment Ministry, Zoltan Illes, admitted that the incident was the worst-ever chemical accident in Hungary. Fears of a much greater catastrophe are growing as the toxic tide threatens to run into the 1,775-mile long Danube River, which flows through Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Moldova before ending in the Black Sea.
The deputy head of a Hungarian water management company declared any pollution of the Danube would constitute a “disaster for the water supply” for a huge swathe of eastern Europe. The sludge has already produced severe environmental consequences for the three Hungarian regions affected, but a contamination of the Danube would threaten the river’s huge fish stock and also pollute the water supply for residential and commercial sites along the river.
This latest incident in Hungary is not unique for the region. In January 2000, in the northwest Romanian town of Baia Mare, not far from the Hungarian border, sludge containing cyanide escaped when a gold mine reservoir burst. The resulting toxic spill went on to kill a massive amount of fish in the Hungarian and Serbian parts of the Tisza River.
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Bulgaria Under Threat of Hungary Sludge Flood
October 5, 2010
https://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=120804
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Gasification of sewage sludge within a circular economy perspective: a Polish case study
July 22, 2019
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Sewage sludge: Why we must stop pollution at source
July 29, 2021
https://chemtrust.org/sewage-sludge-mcs/
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Water turned into glue: how a community in Zhytomyr region saved a river
15 Sep 2021
The Khomora River flows through two regions, Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr, and flows into the Sluch River. Locals who grew up on its shores say that once there was a paradise: beautiful scenery, lovely nature, and clear waters, full of fish and crayfish. Everything has changed since one of Ukraine’s largest paper corporations, the Poninka Cardboard and Paper Factory, located on the banks of the Khomora, began dumping its production waste into the river.
From the very beginning of this story, the local community defended Khomora. It’s a story about how the community managed to save the river: with hard work and a united position, the residents of the towns of Poninka, Pershotravnevsk, the cities of Novohrad-Volynskyi, the villages of Baranivka, and others won back the reservoir. Rubryka asked the activists how they came to this result and how everyone can defend the environment despite everything, and received some answers.
How did the river turn into glue?
The first pollution, after which the water quality in Khomora sharply deteriorated, river snails disappeared and fish began to die, occurred in 2016. However, the management of Poninka Cardboard and Paper Factory-Ukraine LLC denied its involvement in the poisoning of the reservoir, and the factory continued to dump waste from its production into Khomora; its waters also reached Sluch, where drinking water is taken for the city of Novohrad Volynskyi. The problem of pollution of the Sluch and Khomora rivers has become one of the most pressing issues of concern to residents of the Khmelnytskyi and Zhytomyr regions.
Even though the Poninka factory provided work for a significant percentage of locals, people couldn’t remain indifferent: the stench around Khomora was unbearable. The photos of the dead Khomora, which were regularly published on social media by eyewitnesses, were awful.
In recent years, nothing alive has remained in the river. The micro cellulose dumped by the plant into Khomora turned water into real glue. The bottom of the river was lined with a jelly-like mass, in some places the layer of bottom sediments reached a meter! Swimming was strictly forbidden. Sometimes cattle that drank water from the river died. It wasn’t about fish at all, it wasn’t in the river for a long time. Other river creatures and animals, even those listed in the Red Book, suffered from the emissions. A video has been documented of crayfish fleeing en masse, jumping ashore from poisoned water.
The amount of damage caused to the environment was more than eloquent. The State Ecological Inspectorate estimated the losses from the next waste dump, which occurred on April 12, 2019, at over UAH 21 million.
Dozens of public hearings and negotiations with the factory management didn’t yield results. The factory claimed that everything was under control, and almost the aliens were to blame for the pollution. However, back in 2016, the Institute of Colloid Chemistry and Water Chemistry analyzed the water in Khomora, after which the river was given the highest 4th level of pollution, the content of chemicals in the water exceeded the norm by tens and hundreds of times. The complexity of the situation was that the company dumped harmful substances into the water late at night. Pershotravensk was the first to receive these blows.
By joint efforts, the community managed to ensure that inspectors of the State Environmental Service went to the landfills within an hour. Active villagers themselves helped to take laboratory measurements. They showed places of discharge. They were on duty at night in the cities of emissions and recorded it on video. They wrote appeals to all government branches: the State Food Service, the State Coinspection, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the Security Service, the police, the prosecutor’s office, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Emergencies.
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Dirty polluted river in Ukraine. Unsanitary undrinkable water. Muddy brown water color with harmful bacteria. Swamp in a Ukrainian
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Pink puddles of chemicals near Rivne
https://112.international/society/pink-puddles-of-chemicals-near-rivne-police-opens-criminal-proceedings-63427.html
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The Management by Water Resources in the Ikva River Basin in Rivne
31 December 2012
https://core.ac.uk/display/153586255
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IMPACT OF THE RIVNE NPP ACTIVITY ON NATURAL AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE CONTROL AREA.
01 Dec 2019
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess an impact of the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) activity on the control area (CA) environ- ment according to environmental and radiation monitoring data over time of 2011-2017 as a component of the radiation safety system. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Review of geographical and natural features of the territory of the «Rivne NPP» manufac- turing facility was carried out to assess its CA environment. Assessment of environmental and radiation situation of the CA was carried out according to the data of RNPP monitoring systems and a number of state institutions of Rivne oblast over time of 2011-2017. Opinion of the CA population about the RNPP environmental impact was studied. The sampled population of respondents was calculated based on the total population living in CA. The sampling error no more that 7.0%. Data from sociological survey of population were calculated using the statistical programs. RESULTS:The radiation impact of RNPP on environment is related to emissions and discharges of radioactive sub- stances generated in the production cycle. Over time the total index of radionuclide discharge to the Styr River since 2011 is of a marked downward trend from 2.11 % to 0.18 %. The maximum concentrations of 60Co and 137Cs radionuclides at the three sampling points along the Styr River over time of 2011-2016 were about one thousandth of a percent, and of 131I – one hundredth of a permissible value according to the Radiation Safety Standards of Ukraine (RSSU). Emissions of inert radioactive gases and long-lived nuclides into the atmosphere were less than 0.2 % and iodine emissions were 0.01 % to the emission limit. Average radionuclide concentrations in the natural air of the RNPP CA settlements did not exceed the admissible concentration limit (ACL). Concentrations of chem- ical pollutants in discharges of the RNPP to the Styr River over time of 2012-2017 did not exceed the ACL. Integral wastewaters of municipal enterprises of the CA and RNPP result in an increased index of biochemical oxygen uti- lization and ammonium salt content in the Styr River, exceeding the ACL in fishery reservoir water. No exceedance of ACL of repugnant substances in the open air of settlements was observed regarding the pollutants under study. According to population survey the radiation contamination of territories as a result of the ChNPP accident and RNPP activities, which cause anxiety, are the key factors determining an environmental situation at the place of residence. The correlation coefficients between anxiety index and public estimates of environmental situation are established. CONCLUSIONS:Content of radionuclides in emissions and discharges generated in the RNPP production cycle under everyday conditions does not exceed the allowed RSSU-97 values. The combined discharges of collective enterpri- ses and RNPP are the main sources of chemical pollution of surface waters in CA. There is a higher correlation coef- ficient between the anxiety and somatization rates and environmental sphere parameter in rural population com- pared to urban one. The combined effect of environmental, radiation and psychological factors on the RNPP CA population makes the health studies necessary in the latter.
https://europepmc.org/article/MED/31841463
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Rivne Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine
9 March 2022
The Rivne nuclear power plant (NPP) is home to four of the 15 Russian-designed nuclear power reactors operating in Ukraine.
https://www.power-technology.com/projects/rivne-nuclear-power-plant-rivne-ukraine/
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Rivne
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivne
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Mediterranean Supports ECA with Strict Sulfur Limits by 2025
Dec 13, 2021
https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/mediterranean-supports-eca-with-strict-sulfur-limits-by-2025
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Global Sulfur Dioxide Monitoring Home Page
https://so2.gsfc.nasa.gov/
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Global sulphur pollution decreasing
4 December 2020
According to a new analysis of NASA satellite data by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Greenpeace India, global sulphur dioxide (SO₂) pollution from large point sources, such as smelters, coal-fired power plants and oil and gas use, fell by six per cent from 2018 to 2019.
The report ranks the world’s biggest emitters of SO₂, a poisonous air pollutant that increases risk of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and premature death.
The NASA programme “Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments” (MEaSUREs) uses satellite measurements to detect and quantify major SO₂ pollution hotspots across the globe. NASA estimates that sources emitting less than 30 kilotons per year are not reliably detected and that the MEaSUREs catalogue accounts for about half of all known anthropogenic SO₂ emissions worldwide.
In 2019, emissions of SO₂ from large point sources decreased in all of the top three countries with the greatest emissions, namely India, Russia and China. India was responsible for more than one fifth of global SO₂ emissions from large point sources, with nearly twice the level of the world’s second largest emitter, Russia.
Table 1: The “dirty dozen” global hotspots of sulphur dioxide emissions (ktonnes).
Rank Country Emissions 2018 Emissions 2019 Change 2018–2019
1 India 6,329 5,953 -6%
2 Russia 3,635 3,362 -8%
3 China 2,263 2,156 -5%
4 Saudi Arabia 1,861 1,910 +3%
5 Mexico 1,809 1,873 +4%
6 Iran 1,977 1,746 -12%
7 South Africa 1,388 1,187 -15%
8 Turkey 938 1,072 +14%
9 United States 864 823 -5%
10 Kazakhstan 776 760 -2%
11 Ukraine 861 628 -27%
12 Australia 627 610 -3%
https://www.airclim.org/acidnews/global-sulphur-pollution-decreasing
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Air pollution mapping with nitrogen and sulfur dioxides in the south-eastern part of Ukraine using satellite data
2016
https://www.academia.edu/71292947/Air_pollution_mapping_with_nitrogen_and_sulfur_dioxides_in_the_south_eastern_part_of_Ukraine_using_satellite_data
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Wrecked Black Sea ships start to leak sulphur
November 19, 2007
KIEV (Reuters) – Sulphur from two ships that sank in a storm near the Black Sea last week is leaking into waters already polluted by an oil spill from another vessel, UkraIne’s Environment Ministry said on Monday.
Four ships sank in the Kerch Strait on the northern mouth of the Black Sea in one of the worst storms in a century. They included a Russian-registered tanker which disgorged hundreds of tons of oil, creating a environmental disaster for the area’s delicate ecology.
Tens of thousands of birds, covered in heavy fuel oil and unable to fly, have been killed mostly on Russia’s side of the strait. The pollution has also killed fish and even dolphins, according to environmental agencies.
Two other Russian ships were carrying several thousand tons of sulphur.
“As a result of divers’ investigations of the Kovel (vessel in Ukrainian waters), it was established that the boat has a hole in the side, the lids of two holds have been torn off and sulphur is flowing into the sea,” the ministry said.
It said in a statement that Russian investigators found the same had happened with the Nakhichevan, a vessel that sank in Russian waters.
The Ukrainian weather centre issued a warning on Monday of possible storms around the Crimean peninsula with winds of up to 110 kph (70 mph), similar speeds to those last week.
A group of EU environment experts arrived in Kiev on Monday. They will fly to the Kerch Strait to assess the impact of the storms and offer advice on how to handle the damage, an EU spokesman based in Kiev said.
The worst of the storm affected the Kerch Strait, which separates Russia from Ukraine and links the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea. Winds carried most of the fuel oil onto Russian shores.
Each side has threatened to seek compensation from the other.
Interfax news agency quoted the deputy head of Russia’s environment watchdog Rosprirodnadzor as saying Moscow could demand compensation after a Ukrainian deputy foreign minister argued Russia should pay up for the damage done by the Russian tanker.
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Almost 60 people flee to Ukraine after acid leaks in Crimea
10.09.18
Head of the press service of the Kherson border detachment Ivan Shevtsov has said 59 people fled to mainland Ukraine following acid leaks in Russian-annexed Crimea.
“As of 08:00 Kyiv time, 59 citizens had already entered mainland of Ukraine. Most of them announced their intention to appeal to the Kherson health care institutions due to deterioration of health. At the moment, the Kalanchak and Chaplynka entry-exit checkpoints are working in a limited mode (people are allowed only to enter mainland Ukraine), while the Chonhar checkpoint is working in a routine mode,” he told 112 Ukraine TV channel.
Ukrainian border guards have not registered any new air pollution incident for the last two days; the situation remains stable, the media outlet said.
As UNIAN reported, in the early hours of August 24, an unknown chemical substance leaked into the air in the north of Russian-occupied Crimea.
It has been established that the emission took place at the local Crimean Titan plant.
The de-facto authorities did not announce an emergency situation, although children were evacuated from the area. The plant ceased its work for two weeks, the “authorities” alleged.
However, Chairman of Kherson Regional State Administration Andriy Gordeev said the Crimean Titan plant whose chemical emissions had recently caused a sharp deterioration in the health of people in the nearby settlements was still working.
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Ukraine, EU ‘may face acid rain’ amid furious blaze at fuel storage depot near Kiev (VIDEO)
9 Jun, 2015
https://www.rt.com/news/265948-ukraine-oil-blaze-ecology/
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What made the acid rain myth finally evaporate?
Mar 6, 2008
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/what-made-the-acid-rain-myth-finally-evaporate-1.900603
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Plastic rain is the new acid rain
18 June 2020
https://punchng.com/plastic-rain-is-the-new-acid-rain/
____________________________Apocalyptic – Mass Graves, People Drinking Out of Puddles in Ukraine City of Mariupol
March 10, 2022
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EU to subtract millions from funds to Poland over coal mine
January 19, 2022
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The Biden White House Is Sacrificing the Climate for Geopolitics
2022
Exporting American gas to fight Russia means locking in methane emissions for years to come.
https://newrepublic.com/article/164984/biden-ukraine-gas-methane
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John Kerry fears Russia-Ukraine war will distract from climate change
February 24, 2022
Biden’s climate czar said ‘massive emissions’ will negatively impact the globe
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/john-kerry-russia-ukraine-war-climate-change
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War in Ukraine has implications for Arctic co-operation, climate change research
Feb 24, 2022
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/ukraine-war-implications-for-arctic-1.6363856
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Russia submits claim on the North Pole to UN – but oil aspirations seem dead in the water
August 5, 2015
https://bellona.org/news/arctic/2015-08-19470
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Reducing methane emissions increases energy security
Mar 6, 2022
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/commentary/reducing-methane-emissions-increases-energy-security/article_9e287fe0-9bea-11ec-bdd9-5b873e70adf7.html
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Methane emissions (kt of CO2 equivalent) – Ukraine
January 12, 2022
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.METH.KT.CE?locations=UA
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Ukraine
Ukraine Methane Emissions Summary
https://www.globalmethane.org/partners/detail.aspx?c=ukraine
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Illegal Coal Mining in Ukraine
May 30, 2014
According to an investigation conducted by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), there are around 2,500 illegal mining pits located across Ukraine. Most of the illegal “kopanki” pits are located in the Donbas region near Donetsk. Experts in the mining industry estimate that tens of thousands of illegal miners are working in these pits.
The Trade Union of the Coal Miners in Ukraine estimate that between 6 to 7 million tons of coal is illegally extracted from these mines each year. With the average price of a ton of coal being $100, the illegal coal mined from Ukraine could be worth up to $700 Million per year.
7 million tons of coal represents 11 percent of the country’s total coal output.
Source: Denys Kanzansky and Serhly Harmash, “Ukraine’s Illegal coal mines: dirty, dangerous, deadly,” Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, May 26, 2014.
https://havocscope.com/illegal-coal-mining-in-ukraine/
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Russian Wagner group is engaged in illegal gold mining in Sudan: Troika
March 2022
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/russian-wagner-group-is-engaged-in-illegal-gold-mining-in-sudan-troika/ar-AAVm4Ci
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Government denies presence of Wagner group in Sudan
March 2022
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/government-denies-presence-of-wagner-group-in-sudan/ar-AAVmbrM
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ArcelorMittal’s tremendous pollution in Kryvy Rih, Ukraine
2019-12-14
https://ejatlas.org/conflict/arcelormittal-tremendous-pollution-in-ukraine?translate=en
Kryvyi Rih is a city in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast of Ukraine; it is the 8th-most populous city in the country. Perhaps the top steelmaking city in Eastern Europe. ArcelorMittal is the largest metallurgical complex in Ukraine with a full metallurgical cycle, including good control with underground ore extraction, ore mining and a processing complex, by-product coke and metallurgical production as well as agro-industrial complex. The main products of it are rebar and wire rod from ordinary and light alloys
steels, sinter, concentrate, coke, pig iron, steel, section, and shape-rolled products. The PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih metallurgical plant is the source of 80% of atmospheric emissions in the city and 40% of those in the whole Dnipropetrovsk Region. The plant was built in 1934 as the Kryvorizhstal complex, privatized in June 2004, and then sold in June 2005 to the global company Mittal Steel. In 2007, the plant was renamed PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih. In 2006 ArcelorMittal receives a USD 200 million loan from EBRD to
modernize its factory in Kryvyi Rih, with an eye to increase efficiency and to considerably improve the environmental conditions in the area. Five years later, after the project has been completed, there was no evidence of improvements in energy efficiency. Although carbon dioxide and other emissions decreased by 20 percent, the reduction that time was directly related to lower production levels during the economic crisis of 2008…
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Ukraine says ArcelorMittal to invest $1 bln to cut pollution
April 14, 2021
ArcelorMittal will invest around $1 billion in upgrading its steel facilities in Ukraine to reduce pollution, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was quoted as saying on Wednesday…
https://www.reuters.com/article/ukraine-steel-arcelormittal-idUSL1N2M71TD
____________________________Three-dimensional distribution of heavy metals in the areas of tailing pits of the Kryvyi Rih mining and processing objects
2018
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The Avdiivka coke factory is in trouble, and that’s bad news for Ukraine’s industry
2017/02/03
https://euromaidanpress.com/2017/02/03/the-dangers-of-the-avdiivka-coke-factory-shutting-down-akhmetov-donbas/?__cf_chl_tk=43wnB3Y8HtvHDpv2rPXNkCKkCB04aEC3a1VzPXQMeHs-1647407991-0-gaNycGzNB6U
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Coke Plant Killing Thousands of Kharkiv Inhabitants
28. 08. 2018
https://arnika.org/en/hotspots/ukraine/coke-plant-kharkiv
Residents of the city of Kharkiv have suffered from extreme air pollution for many years. The most affected are the inhabitants of the Novobavarskyi district in the western part of the city. The two largest polluters are located in the valley at the confluence of the Udy and Lopan rivers: The Kharkiv Coke Plant, built in the 1930s with technology that is now extremely obsolete, and the Termolife Mineral Wool Plant put into operation in 2006. Both plants have the same owners.
The irritating odor, however, can be smelled far beyond the boundaries of the district. A poisonous cocktail, every day. The situation is worst at night when the smell finds its way into apartments even though their windows are closed. According to data published by the Kharkov journal (Civic Position) in May 2017, the plants emit more than 800 tons of poisonous substances per year: 240 tons of sulfur dioxide, 50 tons of hydrocyanic acid, 200 tons of formaldehyde and other carcinogenic substances. In this city with a population of 1,439,036, every year 6,000 people die of cancer.
“In my house, 12 neighbours have died of cancer in the last 5 years,” says Elena Reshetko, a pensioner and resident of the Novobavarskyi district. She can see the Kharkiv Coke Plant from the balcony of the panel house where she has lived for 32 years. Reshetko encouraged many neighbors from the district to come together when she founded the Ekocid NGO in 2013. Since 2012 she has been trying to sue for damage to her health and violation of the right to live in a safe environment. Reshetko suffers from asthma, like her daughter. Her grandson was diagnosed with a blood disorder. However, the court hasn’t reached a verdict yet because of the lack of evidence of the link between the diseases and the pollution emitted by the plants into the air.
Shocking diseases statistics
Elena Reshetko has attempted to collect this evidence on her own for many years. Together with other activists, she requested official statistics from the Kharkiv clinics for different types of illnesses of adults and children in the years 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, and then examined the situation in different parts of the city.
When comparing Kharkiv Clinic No. 22 in the Chervonozavodskyi district (which is adjacent to the Zhovtenyi district, where the Kharkiv Coke Plant and Termolife are situated), with Kharkov Clinic No. 9 located 10 km from the plants, it turned out that occurences of pulmonary and bronchial disease in adults is almost 3078 times higher than those in the area distant from the city. For other diseases, the difference is 15-20 times higher. Diseases of the blood, skin diseases, the circulatory system and abnormalities in children in the affected area are 4 times higher than in the remote area. Children born with birth defects ranging from cerebral palsy, bronchial asthma, diseases of the circulatory system and deaf-muteness are 4.5 times higher per year in the area affected by the plants. Statistics for adult mortality demonstrated that death from cancer in the emission zone for the period from 2003 is 40 times higher, in contrast to the indicators of the remote area of the city.
The inhabitants turned to the authorities, organized demonstrations, wrote petitions and open letters to the governor, and in 2012 they blocked the track used for bringing the coal to the plant. And even though this long struggle yielded no results, activists were soon being intimidated: Reshetko received death threats, and one the door of her apartment was glued shut. Because the plant employs about 700 people, not all the Novobavarskyi district residents who are exposed to extreme pollution support the activists.
Rare mineral water used for coke production
The experimental laboratory of Giprokoks (Гипрококс), a state-owned firm, was built in Kharkov in 1932 as a coke research center. Its ovens ceased operation in 1952, but in 2003 new owners began coke production once more. They illegally gained access to a rare Novozhanov mineral water deposit. Now, potable publicly-owned mineral water is used in large volumes for coke quenching. Located 8 kilometers from the Kharkiv Coke Plant, the Berminvody, Rosha and Ray-Elenovka sanatoriums have mineral water with a similar composition.
Untreated wastewater from the Kharkiv Coke Plant issues from the back of the plant, which is guarded with armed security, polluting the soil of the territory of the mineral deposit and the Udy River. Thus we have a paradoxical situation where rare water is used for coke production, while ordinary Kharkiv people pay for drinking water at the price of 9.00 UAH per cubic meter.
“The production is daily and uninterrupted. Dioxins, hydrocyanic acid, phenol, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, benzene, naphthalene, and other highly toxic substances formed during the coke and mineral wool production are immediately reflected in mortality statistics. The plants are situated in the lowlands, so dangerous substances accumulate in the valley and the inhabitants have to breathe them. We observe here all the symptoms of environmental disaster: pollution of the atmosphere, water and soil,” says Reshetko.
The source of the drinking water falls under the State Geological and Mineral Resources Survey (Derzhgeonadra) of Ukraine, where the activists sent an official request for the release of contracts allowing access to the area of the rare water deposit, along with the necessary authorization. Derzhgeonadra replied that no rental permit or permit for the construction of facilities was ever been issued to either plant, and this was later confirmed by Oktjabr’s court in Kharkiv.
In 2016, Kharkiv State Environmental Inspection carried out an inspection in the Kharkiv Coke Plant and noted a large number of violations of the law. However, the fine of 14 millions hrivnas has been never paid by the owners.
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Physical and chemical properties of soils in Kharkiv (Ukraine)
March 2022
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358483280_Physical_and_chemical_properties_of_soils_in_Kharkiv_Ukraine
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EXPLAINED: Why Kharkiv is one of Ukraine’s most vulnerable cities
Feb 24, 2022
https://www.wwlp.com/news/world/explained-why-kharkiv-is-one-of-ukraines-most-vulnerable-cities/
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Environmental risks and assessment of the hydrodynamic situation in the mines of Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine
November 2018
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329188764_Environmental_risks_and_assessment_of_the_hydrodynamic_situation_in_the_mines_of_Donetsk_and_Lugansk_regions_of_Ukraine
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Restoration of degraded steppe lands: opportunities for Lugansk Oblast, Eastern Ukraine
January 2009
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/41104410_Restoration_of_degraded_steppe_lands_opportunities_for_Lugansk_Oblast_Eastern_Ukraine
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Slavyansk: black smog, “red tail”
26. 08. 2020
https://arnika.org/en/hotspots/ukraine/slavyansk-black-smog-red-tail
Slavyanskaya TPP is a thermal power plant owned by PJSC Donbasenergo and located in the Donetsk region – 15 km from the city of Slavyansk. Residents have been accustomed to TPP emissions since childhood. The majority of the population still works there today, because it is the only place for stable earnings.
Black smog is a traditional picture for every inhabitant of the city, but every second inhabitant works at Slavyanskaya TPP. “From any company operating, there are harmful emissions into the atmosphere, and the soil can be polluted. This can have a negative impact on the health of people living nearby,” said the medical expert. At the same time, environmentalists claim that Slavyanskaya TPP works in violation of established standards. “There are huge excess emissions of sulphur dioxide. The red colour of coal allows experts to say that the company does not always comply with the environmental standards,” says the technical director of the Ukrainian Scientific Institute of Technical Ecology. The ecologist is convinced that the installation of modern treatment facilities at the power plants is essential.
Automatic monitoring and recording of emissions
“In the Donetsk region, the environmental fund at the beginning of 2018 amounted to more than 900 million hryvnias. Part of the money is spent on the installation of automatic air suction and environmental monitoring. But another structure has to force entrepreneurs to install such sensors,” says Sergiy Natrus, the director of the Donetsk region’s ecology department. That means the Department of Ecology measures the level of pollution, and the Environmental Inspectorate must fine the violating enterprises and help solve the problem.
Work or health?
The position of the city authorities is as expected – Slavyanskaya TPP is a powerful enterprise that is a taxpayer to the city budget and the main place of work for the city residents. The authorities see the production process as imperfect, raise the question of the need to equip the company with additional modern electrostatic precipitators, but consider it as a technical point, not an environmental problem. According to the official resources of the city authorities, the ecological situation in the city is regarded as satisfactory. In the ranking of cities in the Donetsk region according to the index of the ecological situation in 2010, Slavyansk ranks 4th. In 2010, the total amount of emissions into the atmosphere in Slavyansk was 0,11% of all emissions in the Donetsk region as a whole (excluding SlavTPP). According to statistics, emissions of harmful substances by the roads are 4 times higher than the number of harmful substances from all operating enterprises of the city. Moreover, 75% of the total emissions of vehicles are emissions from passenger cars.
What’s in the air?
In June 2020, the Kramatorsk Laboratory for Atmospheric Air Pollution Monitoring took samples at two stationary monitoring posts in the city of Slavyansk and analyzed 384 samples to determine the content of substances in the air. 15 pollutants and 8 heavy metals were monitored. Extremely high or very high air pollution was not observed.
However, the residents of the city feel the emissions in the air and create initiatives, discuss issues and look for ways to solve the problem together with environmentalists, experts and cooperating organizations.
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Ukraine’s Illegal coal mines: dirty, dangerous, deadly
26 May 2014
Illegal coal quarry near Zolotarevka village, Shakhtarsk district, Donetsk Oblast
Illegal coal mining, a multimillion-dollar shadow industry, has become a curse on the Ukrainian economy and workers but a blessing for its few profiteers.
An investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has found that companies linked to former government officials and to businesses owned by the son of former President Viktor Yanukovych routinely legalized and sold black-market coal — stealing jobs from legitimate miners and endangering workers toiling in unregulated and illegal pits.
Industry experts estimate that there are tens of thousands of these workers in some 2,500 kopanki or illegal pits around Ukraine, mostly in the protest-wracked Donbas region around Donetsk. Before the ouster, the numbers of pits and of workers were rising, some say with the quiet approval of authorities, many of whom are still tied to Yanukovych.
While the illegal miners work, they get little pay and work in very dangerous conditions. Meanwhile, a group of businessmen close to the former president has benefited handsomely at the miners expense.
It was nearly a year ago, in June of 2013, when Member of Parliament Oleh Medunytsia submitted a bill calling for investigation of corruption related to illegal coal mining. “It’s clear that such massive-scale legalization of illegally extracted coal cannot happen without a state component in this scheme,” the draft law reads.
He explains that in 2012, state-owned and private coal mines in Ukraine reported extracting up to 61.1 million tons of thermal coal. But the state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia transported 66.9 million tons during that time. The 5.8 million ton difference, he said, represents illegally extracted coal.
Coal miners’ trade unions estimate that the actual amount is closer to 6 to 7 million tons. Considering that the average price for coal is about $100 per ton, the annual output of illegally mined coal could be worth $700 million, according to a Nov. 22, 2012 statement by the Independent Trade Union of Ukraine and local union of Donbas (Eastern Ukrainian coal-mining area). “Recently, new pits and quarries are appearing like mushrooms in warm and rainy weather,” the joint statement reads.
Such volumes of illegally extracted coal require a steady market, which raises questions as to who is buying the massive quantities. After all, 7 million tons is 11 percent of the country’s entire annual output of thermal coal, including production from private mines.
Milking
State-owned mines are key to the sale of illegal coal because they are entitled to state subsidies for coal they extract. In 2012 such subsidies totaled $1.6 billion.
Volynets says illegal coal can be bought for between $6.25 and $12.5 per ton, so coal mines buy extra, illegal coal so they can benefit from the subsidies. Typically, they pay about $50 per ton; after enrichment, it is sold for $62 per ton, and then to industry and the public at $175. Of this sale price, subsidies from the state account for $113 of the sale price. Given the amount of illegal coal entering the market, that means $678 million in paid out in subsidies for illegal coal.
This hefty subsidy is in effect siphoned from state mines into private pockets, as the mines claim to be producing more coal than they actually do produce. For example, state-owned enterprise Selidovvuhillya in 2012 kept exceeding its planned monthly output by 20-30 percent. In comparison, that year the total coal extraction in Ukraine rose by less than 5 percent.
A second money-making maneuver involves people connected to ex-President Yanukovych’s circle creating companies to sell mining equipment to state-owned enterprises.
In early 2012, three LLC’s with the same names as the coal mines that Selidovvuhillya owns showed up in Ukraine’s company registry.
The newly founded firms then started winning procurement tenders to supply mining equipment to their state-owned namesakes. For example, in April, LLC Coal Mine 1/3 Novohrodivska got a total of $5.7 million contracts to supply equipment to the eponymous coal mine. LLC Rossiya, in its turn, got $1.4 million worth of contracts in May.
A public procurement watch-dog organization, Nashi Groshi, calculated that altogether, in 2012 these twin companies alone won nearly $96 million in procurement deals granted by state-owned coal mines.
In the case of the LLCs 1/3 Novohrodivska and Shakhta Rosiya, the founder of the company supplying equipment to state mining companies is LLC Palyvno-Energetychy Kapital. Its owner is Oleksandr Sichinava, who until the end of 2011 headed the supervisory board of Vseukrainsky Bank Rozvytky, a bank 100 percent owned by Oleksandr Yanukovych.
Medunytsia’s draft law to investigate corruption surrounding the illegal coal industry states that in 2012, 4.8 million tons of illegal coal was supplied to state-owned thermal power stations, while 1 million tons was exported.
In 2012 MAKO Holding, a business owned by Oleksandr Yanukovych, started exporting Ukrainian anthracite through the Swiss-registered daughter company Mako Trading SA. That year MAKO exported nearly 200,000 according to Forbes. Perhaps coincidentally anthracite is extracted in the vicinity of the towns of Shakhtarsk, Snizhne and Torez – places with the highest concentration of illegal pits in the country.
Black Schemes
Corruption in the coal market relies on the fact that the market is completely regulated with fixed prices. Mines are paid high prices but are also expensive to operate and keep safe. However, if mine managers or other businessmen can buy coal from illegal miners, who sell at about a fifth of the official price, they can sell it on at the official rate to state coal processors, and make a lot of money.
To sell coal legally, it needs to pass through a coal enrichment plant where raw coal is purified and sorted into grades for shipment to consumers. That would theoretically make scrutiny by authorities easy.
But that does not appear to be happening. OCCRP identified several routes by which coal dug from illegal pits is “laundered” into legal coal. The routes lead through state-owned mines, coal enrichment plants and shell companies.
The laundering of illegal coal through state facilities is not new and has existed at least as far back as the tenure of Yulia Tymoshenko, prime minister from 2007-2010.
In December of 2008, Mykhaylo Volynets, head of the Independent Coalminers Union of Ukraine, explained to Ostrov, a Donetsk media outlet, how illegal coal was legalized through Sverdlovantratsyt, a state-owned coal extraction company in Luhansk Oblast.
“Just within the last three months Vyhillia Ukrainy received from Sverdlovantratsyt 120,000 tons of extra coal, most likely stolen and delivered from illegal pits… This cheap coal from the pits is then sold by Vyhillya Ukrainy as if it was extracted in a state-owned mine with high extraction costs. The difference between the selling price and costs is covered by the state.”
In the proposed law to investigate the matter, Member of Parliament from Luhansk, Volodymyr Landik said that Sverdlovantratsyt continued to buy coal of uncertain origin and sold it through Vyhillya Ukrainy. In the first quarter of 2008, $22 million in illegal coal was sold. At the same time, 200 tons of Sverdlovantratsyt’s own coal was sitting in its warehouses.
Overall in the first five months 2008 over 2.8 million tons of illegal coal got to electric power stations, Parliament member and head of Coal Miners Trade Union Viktor Turmanov said.
In March 2010,Parliament also considered investigating, but never did.
But shortly after Yanukovych came to power, his government, led by Mykola Azarov, cancelled Vyhillia Ukrainy’s monopoly over supplying coal to state-owned power stations (http://www.president.gov.ua/docs/gr2.pdf). This made room for businessmen to profit from illegal coal…
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Toxic waters in war-torn Ukraine: How not to phase out coal
21.12.2021
Around the world, coal-producing countries are struggling for a “just transition” away from fossil fuels. But for Donbas in war-torn Ukraine, shuttered mines threaten ecological disaster.
https://www.dw.com/en/toxic-waters-in-war-torn-ukraine-how-not-to-phase-out-coal/a-60084288
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Ukraine blocks illegal mining
April 30, 2021
https://www.poandpo.com/crime/ukraine-blocks-illegal-mining/
In Zhytomyr region, the SBU stopped large-scale illegal mining. The engineering and ecological expertise confirmed that the state losses top UAH 42 m. (USD 1.5 m.) in the last nine months alone.
Allegedly, the illegal business was organized by a former deputy of Zhytomyr City Council. He created several controlled commercial structures. Under the guise of digging out of the reservoir, the company illegally began a large-scale subsoil mining on agricultural lands.
On 10 land plots (total area is over nine hectares), the offenders started hydraulic sluicing using special equipment: dredger and excavators.
They sold illegally extracted mixture for cash to individuals and commercial entities of Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia and Khmelnytskyi regions at market prices, bypassing tax legislation. Every night, trucks removed 600-800 tons of sand.
According to the State Environmental Inspectorate, the land is currently unusable for its intended purpose and cannot be recovered. The amount of damage caused is being estimated.
Law enforcement officers conducted six simultaneous searches of the places of registration and actual location of enterprises, as well as of offenders’ residences and the underground quarry. During the investigation, the SBU seized: originals of financial and accounting documents; computers that contain the accounting documents; seals of firms participating in the illegal business; and heavy machinery.
Three offenders received suspicion notices of violation of rules related to the protection of mineral resources; misappropriation of soil cover (surface layer) of land; wasteful use of lands.
Investigative actions are underway within the criminal proceedings. The operation was carried out by the SBU Office in Zhytomyr region jointly with National Police investigators under the procedural guidance of the Zhytomyr Region Prosecutor’s Office.
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Illegal Predatory Sand Mining in the Crimea
October 24, 2021
https://arc.construction/21533
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Crimeans told to stop stealing sand from beaches
17 May 2016
https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-36314586
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Police Warning over Theft of Sand From Beach
June 27th, 2016
https://www.policeoracle.com/quirkie/quirkie/2016/Jun/27/Police-warning-over-theft-of-sand-from-beach_92194.html/humour
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Crimea threatens to bring in Russia’s Federal Security Services to stop theft of sand from beaches
May 18, 2016
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/crimea-threatens-bring-russias-fsb-stop-theft-sand-beaches-1560617
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Crimea and the Black Sea: An Environmental History
05 Jul 2017
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/2325548X.2017.1315248
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Sea Bottom Sediments Pollution of the Crimean Coast (The Black and Azov Seas)
06 February 2021
Abstract
The aim of this research was to determine the content of trace elements and heavy metals (HM), extractable organic matter (EOM), total petroleum hydrocarbon content (TPC) in the sea bottom sediments of the Azov and Black Seas, to evaluate the ecological wellbeing of the region. The EOM amount was determined by gravimetric method, the TPC was determined by the method of infrared spectrometry. The metals and metals oxides were determined using XRF spectrometer «Max Spectroscan-G». The bottom sediments near the coast of Crimea (in 2016) were typical of the marine soils in the area. In the Black Sea, there was a trend to a progressive increase in the EOM content, but the bottom sediments were pure according to content of oil products. The content of HM varied in wide ranges. The vicinity to the pollution source did not always determine the zones of their elevated contents. In the Azov Sea, the resulting concentrations at most stations transcended those in the Black Sea. Values of Zn, V, Cr, Co exceeded their natural content in the shelf sediments throughout the expedition track. Ni content in Azov Sea demonstrated the existence of anthropogenic pollution sources.
BUILDUP FACTORS OF MANGANESE, COPPER, AND ZINC BY CERTAIN HYDROBIONTS OF THE SEA OF AZOV.
1969-10-31
https://www.osti.gov/biblio/4782627
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Heavy Metals In Marine Aerosols Of The Azov Sea
2020
https://ges.rgo.ru/jour/article/view/1166/0
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The Black Sea Is Dying, and War Might Push it Over the Edge
May 11, 2016
Surrounded by six countries, all with their own agendas, the massive body of water is at risk of becoming another casualty of regional strife
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/black-sea-dying-and-war-might-push-it-over-edge-180959053/
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Crimean authorities: Water found under the Sea of Azov is not suitable for consumption
June 14, 2021
https://ukrainetoday.org/2021/06/14/crimean-authorities-water-found-under-the-sea-of-azov-is-not-suitable-for-consumption/
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Global campaign goes local in Ukraine to clean up the Azov coastline
September 23, 2021
https://www.ua.undp.org/content/ukraine/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2021/global-campaign-goes-local-in-ukraine-to-clean-up-the-azov-coastline.html
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Jellyfish invasion in the Sea of Azov: a record set in 50 years and what to do
11 Aug 2021
We’re not the first generation to face the invasion of Aurelia and Rhizostomae on the beaches, but the first one to have to learn to live with them.
https://rubryka.com/en/article/meduzy-azovske-more/
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OVERFISHING, POLLUTION, JELLYFISH BRING DARK TIMES TO BLACK SEA
Feb 9, 1997
https://www.deseret.com/1997/2/9/19294192/overfishing-pollution-jellyfish-bring-dark-times-to-black-sea
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Microphytobenthos as an indicator of water quality and organic pollution in the western coastal zone of the Sea of Azov
2019
https://sciendo.com/es/article/10.1515/ohs-2019-0013
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The Murky Sea of Azov
November 29, 2018
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/11/the-murky-sea-of-azov/comment-page-1/
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Kerch Bridge will destroy the Sea of Azov
3 October 2017
Theme №1 in the “Crimean issue” during the last two years is the construction of a bridge across the Kerch Strait, which aims to connect Russia with the annexed Crimean peninsula. Most of the discussions around this undoubtedly important issue are turning around political consequences, or are like dragging a rope guessing whether “they will finish or they will not finish”. However, the politicization of the issue only provokes the debate and the noise that accompanies the construction, instead of actually assessing the possible consequences of such a huge construction project…
http://epl.org.ua/en/environment/kerchenskyj-mist-znyshhyt-azovske-more/
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Oil Spill in The Kerch Strait
Jul 09, 2010
https://www.scribd.com/document/34113556/Oil-Spill-in-the-Kerch-Strait
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Russia’s strategy in the Sea of Azov: The Kerch Bridge, artificial shipping delays and continued harm to Ukraine
2021/01/16
https://euromaidanpress.com/2021/01/16/russias-strategy-in-the-sea-of-azov-the-kerch-bridge-artificial-shipping-delays-and-continued-harm-to-ukraine/
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Around 80 civilian vessels are now stuck waiting in the Kerch Strait
Dec 10, 2021
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Russia blocks almost 70% of the Sea of Azov and hinders free navigation
Dec 10, 2021
Given the large-scale accumulation of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine, these actions look very threatening.
https://www.seawanderer.org/russia-blocks-almost-70-of-the-sea-of-azov-and-hinders-free-navigation
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The Black Sea Ecosystem is in Danger!
April 2008
Resolution adopted at the EGP Council, Ljubljana, 11-13 April 2008.
The Black Sea region is suffering from continuing anthropogenic stress. The intense pollution by the surrounding countries that has now being going on for many decades has taken a heavy toll on the whole ecosystem including quality of the water and the sea-life. Under the current bad environmental conditions more than 160 million people in Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russian Federation, Romania and Turkey are exposed to danger. Level of the sea water pollution exceeds the ecosystem’s assimilation capability. Thus, annually more than 100 000 tons of sewage, tens of thousands tons of oil products, tens of thousands tons of toxic heavy metals (copper, lead, cadmium, etc.) enter the sea.
The European Green Party defines two the most crucial problems that require urgent solutions: sea water pollution caused by human economic activity and strengthening of destructive processes related to abrasion and erosion of the coastal line.
The environmental catastrophe that occurred on November 11th 2007 in the Kerch Strait when 10 vessels (tankers and cargo carriers) sank in the strait or ran aground during a severe storm, including the Volganeft-139 is another striking demonstration of the real threat to the Black Sea ecosystem. Several tons of heavy oil and about 7 thousand tons of sulfur entered the sea. Currently thousands of tons of sand-black-oil mixture are just “stored” on the banks of the Kerch Strait, including Ukrainian and Russian sides. Floating oil spots that were found out in the coastal waters near the cities of Kerch and Kherson in March and repeated pollution of the beaches with oil products proves the fact that the Black Sea has been turning into a reservoir filled with oil.
Existing legislation aimed at protecting the Black Sea region, international cooperation within the frame of Bucharest Convention and others documents such as “Ministerial Declaration on the Black Sea Protection” 1993, “Strategic Action Plan on Rehabilitation and Protection of the Black Sea”, 1995, etc. that were countersigned and ratified by Ukraine have been neglected. Strategic Action plan was signed more than 10 years ago but so far it has not been really implemented.
The European Green Party is convinced that environmental problems of the Black Sea can be solved only provided increasing international influence on the governments of the Black Sea region countries.
Ecosystem of the Black Sea is in danger! The European Green Party calls upon Ukrainian government and governments of the Black Sea region to undertake urgent and efficient actions to improve the ecological situation in the region.
Urgent environmental measures are required to save the Black Sea from its further environmental degradation.
https://europeangreens.eu/content/black-sea-ecosystem-danger
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Intense firefight for key bridge near Kherson, Ukraine
Feb 26, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTpe8adpPL4
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Russian Tank Column Crosses Bridge Under Heavy Ukrainian Fire
Feb 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtGvgZC2PfA
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Ukrainian soldier ‘blows himself up to destroy bridge’ to stop forces storming in from Crimea
Feb 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwRQNg2q68I
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Massive blast cripples parts of Crimea-Russia bridge, in blow to Putin’s war effort
October 8, 2022
https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/08/europe/crimea-bridge-explosion-intl-hnk/index.html
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Crimea bridge partly reopens after huge explosion, Russia says – BBC News
Oct 9, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BReSlPoeeQ
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Ukrainians weld anti-tank obstacles to help fight invading Russian troops
Mar 7, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AagtIG_D2Y
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Ukrainians Use WWII-Era ‘Hedgehogs’ to Disable Tanks
Mar 10, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT33Mwi9DKk
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Russia may build gas pipeline from Crimea to Europe
October 6, 2019
https://uawire.org/russia-may-build-gas-pipeline-from-crimea-to-europe#
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Arctic Cruise Ships Seized by Russia ‘Suddenly and Unexpectedly’
6/21/19
https://www.newsweek.com/arctic-antarctic-cruise-ship-russia-1445159
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Ukraine seizes Russian tanker in the Black Sea
24-07-19
Officials in Moscow have urged Kiev to release detained sailors of the Russian-flagged tanker ‘Nika Spirit”. If Russian nationals “were taken hostage” by Ukraine, “it would mount to a grave violation of international law.
It is still unclear how many sailors were on board the ship. Anatoly Matios, head of the Ukrainian military prosecutor’s office, uploaded photos showing the passports of seven Russian seamen.
https://cosmoschronicle.com/ukraine-seizes-russian-tanker-in-the-black-sea/
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New Videos Show Russian Navy Firing 8 Naval Cruise Missiles From the Black Sea
March 22, 2022
https://news.usni.org/2022/03/22/new-videos-show-russian-navy-firing-8-naval-cruise-missiles-from-the-black-sea
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BREAKING: Russia launch missiles ‘from black sea’ targeting Ukraine
Mar 26, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUnWv2945L8
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Russian panic: Ukrainian artillery fire repel Russian navy!
Mar 25, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxfQJi0oSXs
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Ukrainians claim to have destroyed large Russian warship in Berdyansk
March 25, 2022
The Ukrainian armed forces on Friday named the ship they said they destoyed as the “Saratov.”
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/24/europe/ukraine-russian-warship-berdyansk-intl/index.html
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Russian ship destroyed on the coast of the Azov Sea!
Mar 24, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XouG7oUKAhM
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The Scale of Marine Pollution from the Strait of Kerch Catastrophe is Growing
November 15, 2007
THE SCALE OF MARINE POLLUTION FROM THE STRAIT OF KERCH CATASTROPHE IS GROWING
The scale of pollution in the sea as a result of the sinking of tankers and freight ships carrying sulfur in the Strait of Kerch is growing. The pollution has spread to the northern side of the Taman Peninsula on the coast of the Azov Sea. Today, Environmental Watch on the North Caucasus received information that oil pollution has traveled as far as the village of Kuchugury. Aleksandr Komlevoi, a representative of the NGO “Saving Taman!”, was there today. The seashore at Kuchugury is severely polluted with lumps of congealed fuel oil. The sea was continuously dumping new pieces of fuel oil onto the shore and the air was filled with the persistent smell of oil. Approximately a dozen people were conducting cleanup activities.
In addition, we have received information that the fuel oil spill was much larger than was officially announced. Research into the wrecked tanker, “Volganeft-139”, showed that fuel oil spilled from four out of eight tanks. The second, third, fifth and sixth tanks were empty. Thus, at least half of the 4.77 thousand tons of fuel oil on board spilled into the sea. It is also important to consider the serious spill of fuel from the three freight ships loaded with sulfur (Volnogorsk, Kovel, and Nakhichevan), which sunk off the southern edge of the Tuzla Spit. This pollution may spread across the entire southern shore of the Taman Peninsula and reach Anapa Resort.
Samples of sea water that were taken yesterday at the Kuban Estuary Station on Chushka Spit between the Port Kavkaz and the Ulyich Village demonstrated that Maximum Permissible Concentrations for petroleum products in sea water were exceeded fifty times.
https://crudeaccountability.org/the-scale-of-marine-pollution-from-the-strait-of-kerch-catastrophe-is-growing/
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Condition of the Kerch Strait ecosystem two years after the disaster of winter 2007: Preliminary results
October 2010
https://www.academia.edu/11918138/Condition_of_the_Kerch_Strait_ecosystem_two_years_after_the_disaster_of_winter_2007_Preliminary_results
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Assessment of Kerch Bay environmental pollution using neuroglial proteins of ground fish
2014
The modern ecology situation in waters of the Kerch Strait requires assessment of disturbances in biotopes and monitoring of the degree of impact of industrial pollutants on ecosystem. Deposit of oil products after the 2007 year ships’ accidents might have considerable impact on the water biocenosis area. The investigation of cytoskeleton marker of astrocytes glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in brain of the bullhead (Neogobius fluviatilis), which is the typical representative of the commercial ground fish of the Kerch Strait, has been carried out.
The results of comparative analysis of GFAP content in the brain of fish from the Kerch Bay near-shore waters and fish from conditionally clear area of Vorskla river shows the reliable (2.18 times) increasing of GFAP in the area of industrial pollution. Rising GFAP content indicates the astrogliosis development as a result of metabolic disturbances which can be induced by higher content of oil products in the near-bottom biotopes of the Kerch Bay. Increase in lipid peroxidation level was observed in the brain of fish from the Kerch Bay. The results provided with regard to violations of the state of astrocyte cytoskeleton and oxidative stress in the brain of bullhead from the Kerch Bay prove the sublethal biology effect of industrial pollutants in hydrobionts from this area. Results of this investigation also indicate the necessity of continuous ecology monitoring and comprehensive study of hydrobiont populations in the industrial regions and ecological
disaster zones.
https://dnu.dp.ua/docs/visnik/fbem/program_5e592ff2e3667.pdf
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MODERN GEOECOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE KERCH STRAIT ECOSYSTEM
22 April 2019
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1019331619010015
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Malaya Cherepakha
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaya_CherepakhaMalaya Cherepakha is a small river that flows through Taganrog (Rostov Oblast, Russian Federation) into the Azov Sea.
Description
The riverbed of Malaya Cherepakha is situated in Malaya Cherepakha Gully. The total length of the river is 3 kilometers. It flows into the Sea of Azov through the territory of Taganrog Tannery Factory.
The canal bed of the Little Turtle is silted, the slopes are washed out and covered with household rubbish. The silt layer at the bottom of the river reaches more than 4 meters.
According to data of the monitoring of water quality in 2005, the waters of Malaya Cherepakha River contained an excess of ammonium, nitrites, phosphates, manganese, iron, petroleum products, nickel, vanadium and molybdenum. Correspondingly, bottom sediments are equally heavily contaminated with heavy metals.
Along the open section of the riverbed there are areas that are prone to flooding and waterlogging: these are Oktyabrskaya and Sotsialisticheskya streets.
In February 2015 was announced the initiative of the students of the Taganrog College of Marine Instrument Making who together with other participants and curators of the SIFE to clear the channel of the river.
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In Feodosia, the Sewerage Burst After a Recent Costly Overhaul of the Water Supply Network
November 6, 2020
https://arc.construction/5618
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Ukrainians forced to drink sewage water as the heinous consequences of Russian atrocities are revealed
27th Mar, 2022
https://www.bolnews.com/international/2022/03/ukrainians-forced-to-drink-sewage-water-as-the-heinous-consequences-of-russian-atrocities-are-revealed/
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Sewage Water Regulations in Ukraine
https://www.steamshipmutual.com/Downloads/Articles/SewageUkraine1109.pdf
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Kiev’s Water, Sewage Systems in Need of Repairs
6 May 2009
https://www.ooskanews.com/story/2009/05/kievs-water-sewage-systems-need-repairs_145103
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Oil Pollution of Water and Bottom Sediments of the Kyiv Section of the Kaniv Reservoir under the Urban Impact
2019
https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/38cb2223012b73f2,4af67413788d347e,03ff88190e7c60fb.html
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Algae as the bioindicators of radioactive pollution of water bodies in the Kiev region
Jul 01, 2001
https://www.osti.gov/etdeweb/biblio/20485217
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Oxygen Balance of the Kiev Reservoir in Wintertime
2002
https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/38cb2223012b73f2,0d61b30f78d1834b,262eff6907d78858.html?sgstd=1
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The health resort is in poor health: Ecological problems in Crimea following the Russian occupation
2021
https://nv.ua/ukr/ukraine/events/when-the-health-resort-is-ill-ecological-problems-in-crimea-following-the-russian-occupation-50178689.html
Max Koshelev, Suspilne
Since the late 19th century, Crimea has been synonymous with recreation. In recent years, however, the climate and nature in Crimea are increasingly throwing up unpleasant surprises.
Crimea is gradually drying up without the Dnipro water. Its soil is changing, and whole areas are getting deserted. Large, «Russian-style» construction projects are killing Crimean nature even faster. New motorways appear in the middle of fields and forests. Pine trees that have been growing for hundreds of years are getting felled, while new houses emerge in the middle of nature reserves on the south bank of Crimea.
This anthropogenic impact on the environment, among other factors, has caused floods in the virtually flat city of Kerch this summer. Experts from the Association of Reintegration of Crimea think that the reason for the flooding of the city was the dam on the river Melek-Chesme, which was damaged by the 2018 construction of a railway branch to the Kerch Bridge.
Water. Clean and dirty
Crimea is no longer receiving water from mainland Ukraine through the North Crimean Canal. The northern field regions contain drinkable water underground, but — without the annual replenishment of aquifers from the canal — this water mineralises a lot.
The blocking of the canal has had an even bigger impact on farmers and the farming industry. In the past, harvests of rice and cereal in risky agricultural areas were made possible thanks to the Dnipro water irrigation. But if the occupying authorities can get away with neglecting the interests of farmers, it can’t do the same with the large chemical companies of Armiansk and Krasnoperekopsk. Two plants — Crimean Titan and Soda Crimea Plant (Krym Soda) — were de-facto told to use water from the wells, instead of Dnipro, for their technological cycles. This leads to ‘suction’ of saltwater into the aquifers and that, in turn, causes degradation of soil and desertification of the region.
In August 2018, the septic tank for production waste at the Crimean Titan chemical plant dried up as a result of the water shortage. This caused acid rains in Armiansk, as well as precipitation of a sticky sediment. Occupying authorities even had to evacuate children from the town for a few weeks.
Russia spends tens of billions of rubles to nourish Simferopol and Sevastopol with water: it drills new wells, plans desalination plants, and builds dams on small rivers. But the systemic water problem is still unresolved. On July 20, the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights, based on the convention about the protection of human rights and freedom. Moscow insisted that Ukraine stops blocking the supply of the Dnipro water onto the peninsula. The court rejected this request.
Russia’s new idée fixe is finding drinkable water underneath the Sea of Azov — the country has already spent 5.3 billion roubles on this feat.
Managing wastewater is no less an ecological challenge for the peninsula. Sevastopol is one of the places that struggle the most. The construction of the existing complex of treatment facilities, Pivdennyi, has never been completed, despite starting in Soviet times. The city has grown in population during the occupation — and it continues dumping wastewater into the sea.
Sevastopol’s location and the way the Black Sea current works mean that anything thrown into the sea ends up being spread across it, according to the Crimea-born leading scientist at the Institute of Zoology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Pavlo Goldin. This affects the entire southwest of Crimea because the untreated effluents cause significant damage to the ecosystem of the Black Sea — microorganisms, fish, and other marine species.
Toxic sand and mountains of waste
After its cut-off from Ukraine Crimea de-facto became an island, so Russia had to rebuild transport infrastructure on the peninsula. The so-called Crimea Bridge was erected, as well as its continuation in the form of the Tavrida highway. Not only do these projects require significant intrusion into the natural ecosystem of Crimea (through dumping of dams, excavation of large volumes of soil, and deforestation), but they also need mining of immense volumes of construction materials like stone and sand.
«Second in importance (after the Crimea Bridge problem) is sand mining in the Karkinitsky Bay. This bay is a breeding ground for fish for the entire Black Sea, so any changes affect the whole Black Sea basin,» argued the former Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Professor Borys Babin.
The occupants acquire sand both from the sea and the protective dams of the Churbash tailing ponds in Kerch, which are, in fact, a toxic waste dump. «There is a garbage collapse in Crimea» noted Babin. The garbage plant near Simferopol — that was planned in pre-occupation times — has never been built, so garbage is accumulating on the peninsula. «No one is taking it out, and this is a very negative prospect long-term. It’s a ticking time bomb,» the academic warned.
Bombs on nature reserves
If the waste time bomb is only expected to explode in the future, gunfire can be heard in the occupied Crimea already. Russian military carries out military exercises, shoots, and launches rockets almost non-stop.
Biologist Pavlo Goldin thinks that the main consequences of this military activity are the chemical contamination of the territory and water, acoustic pollution, and mass-scale fires.
«At least twice the southern part of the Kerch Peninsula and the protected Opuk Peninsula have been almost fully burnt out. The latter constitutes 32% of the entire Crimean steppe flora, as well as dozens of local plants and animals listed in the Red Book of Ukraine,» he stated.
A wave of protests sparked in response to the recent deforestation of the Foros Park, but the works are continuing. For the construction of the next stage of the infamous Tavrida highway, the occupying authorities of Sevastopol have approved — and will even fund with 37 million roubles — the felling of nearly 8,000 trees on the territory of the local forestry between Sevastopol and Yalta.
Ukraine doesn’t have direct access to the territory or any way to monitor the ecological situation objectively, so what can it do?
There are at least 10 criminal proceedings and 20 registered facts of harm to the environment of the occupied Crimea being investigated, according to Serhiy Turchyn, head of the police oversight department at the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. In particular, the prosecutor’s office is investigating the destruction of trees at the construction site of the Tavrida highway, mining in the Black Sea, and destruction of several nature reserves: Crimean Nature, Cape Martyan, Lebedyn Islands in the Rozdolne district.
But the country has not used an important mechanism yet, said Babin, which are international non-governmental ecological organisations. «They don’t know Crimea’s problems, no one’s told them,» he noted. In his opinion, the ecological direction can become one of the most important ones for the future growth of the Crimean Platform.
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Lake contaminated by chemical waste, Krasnoperekopsk, Crimea, Ukraine, Eastern Europe
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-lake-contaminated-by-chemical-waste-krasnoperekopsk-crimea-ukraine-56438333.html
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Human Rights’ Violations in Crimea and Universal Monitoring Mechanisms
https://www.ostvector.com/human-rights-violations-in-crimea
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OIL POLLUTION OF THE BLACK SEA
September 2012
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305860880_OIL_POLLUTION_OF_THE_BLACK_SEA
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Neighbouring countries cannot obtain data from Russia on oil spill in Novorossiysk
Earlier, Ukraine could analyze and monitor such an environmental catastrophe as oil spill, because the Russian port of Novorossiysk is located near Crimea. But after Russia had occupied the peninsula, Ukrainian scientists were deprived of the opportunity to do such work.
Aug 17, 2021
https://seawanderer.org/neighbouring-countries-cannot-obtain-data-from-russia-on-oil-spill-in-novorossiysk
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For Ukraine’s fishermen, ‘war changed everything’
October 26, 2017
The region’s conflict has forced many from their homes and put their livelihood at risk.
https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-russia-fishermen-war-changed-everything/
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Pollution of the Black Sea by Oil Products. Its Monitoring and Forecasting
2018
https://openjournals.ge/index.php/GGS/article/download/2526/pdf
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UPDATE: Black Sea storm splits oil tanker, spilling thousands of gallons and sinking other ships
November 13, 2007
https://bellona.org/news/fossil-fuels/oil/2007-11-update-black-sea-storm-splits-oil-tanker-spilling-thousands-of-gallons-and-sinking-other-ships
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Responses of juvenile black sea mullet to pollution with fuel oil
1998
https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/springer-journals/responses-of-juvenile-black-sea-mullet-to-pollution-with-fuel-oil-lbxBeT3CnO
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Persistent organochlorine residues in sediments from the Black Sea
2002
The extent of contamination of the Black Sea by selected organochlorine compounds has been assessed through the analysis of surficial sediments taken from throughout the region. Concentrations of HCHs at sites influenced by the Danube delta are among the highest recorded on a global basis (up to 40 ng g(-1) dry wt). The ratio between the alpha- and gamma-isomers was relatively low indicating contamination through the use of lindane. Concentrations of DDTs (0.06-72 ng g(-1) dry wt) and PCBs (0.06-72 ng g(-1) dry wt) were not especially high in comparison to levels reported from throughout the world. The DDE/DDT ratio was, however, low indicating fresh inputs and hence current usage of DDT within the Black Sea region.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11980446/
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Arsenic and heavy metals in the bottom sediments of the Balaklava Bay (Black Sea)
18 December 2009
We present the results of investigation of the contents of metals (As, Cr, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, V, Sr, Mn, Ti, and Fe) in the bottom sediments of the Balaklava Bay (Black Sea) carried out in July 2005. It is shown that the pollution of the bottom sediments with metals has a polyelemental character. We establish the specific features of changes in the contents of the analyzed elements and localize the sources of their appearance in the ecosystem. On the basis of the results of evaluation of the intensity of technogenic action upon the marine medium, we determine a group of toxic elements (As, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn) accumulated in the bottom sediments of the bay in amounts significantly exceeding the background values typical of sediments of the Black Sea shelf. The comparative analysis of the degrees of pollution of the bay and some other coastal water areas with metals is performed.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11110-009-9048-4
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Organic carbon content of sediments as an indicator of stress in the marine benthos
2005
https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/22979/1/organic_carbon_content_of_sediment.pdf
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ASSESSMENT OF THE BLACK SEA ECOSYSTEM POLLUTION WITH COPPER AND CADMIUM IN SELECTED BAYS OF SEVASTOPOL REGION
2015
http://www.jeeng.net/ASSESSMENT-OF-THE-BLACK-SEA-ECOSYSTEM-POLLUTION-WITH-COPPER-AND-CADMIUM-IN-SELECTED-BAYS-OF-SEVASTOPOL-REGION,60467,0,2.html
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RUSSIAN Report Forecasts ECONOMIC COLLAPSE – Deep & Prolonged RECESSION for RUSSIA as SANCTIONS Bite
Sep 13, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL3EysuSniQ
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Equidosimetric Comparison of Efficiency of Effects of Gamma-Irradiation and Chemical Toxic Agents (Copper and Phenol) on the Red Algae of the Black Sea
2005
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/1-4020-3650-7_9
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Environment of the Black Sea
https://files.pca-cpa.org/pcadocs/ua-ru/04.%20UA%20Rejoinder%20Memorial/01.%20Exhibits/UA-58.pdf
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Ecological niche modeling of toxic dinoflagellate Prorocentrum cordatum in the Black Sea
2021
Abstract
The article deals with risk assessment of mass development of a toxic dinoflagellate species Prorocentrum cordatum (Prorocentrales, Dinophyceae) in various regions of the Black Sea by applying ecological niche modeling. Niche modeling was developed using the MaxEnt algorithm. The MaxEnt model training was based on the data of P. cordatum general distribution according to the GBIF source, along with the data on 8 environmental variables retrieved from the Bio-Oracle database. Quality evaluation of the obtained model was executed with the values of AUC statistics, and relative contribution of selected environmental variables to the model was also estimated. In order to additionally assess the applicability of the model, analyses of literature data (from 1886 through 2020) together with original data on the distribution of P. cordatum in the Black Sea (from 1986 to 2020) were carried out. Response curves of environmental variables with the highest permutation importance are given. Map projections of MaxEnt habitats suitability scores for P. cordatum in the Black Sea area are presented. According to our estimates, about 16 percents of the whole Black Sea area are in the high or very high risk zone of P. cordatum mass outbreaks. Maximum values of predicted suitability were obtained for the northwestern part of the Black Sea, while in other regions of the sea they coincided with location of large sources of anthropogenic eutrophication and further distribution of polluted waters by currents. The proposed mathematical model can be used to predict the appearance and mass development of other toxic species.
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Database on Black Sea benthic diatoms (Bacillariophyta): its use for a comparative study of diversity pecularities under technogenic pollution impacts
https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/ocrd/115073.pdf
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The seasonal dynamics of potentially toxic and harmful phytoplankton species in Novorossiysk Bay (Black Sea)
08 May 2013
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1063074013020090
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Age-Dependent Changes of Mediterranean Trachurus mediterraneus Male and Female from Coastal Waters of Sevastopol (Black Sea, Ukraine)
2014
https://www.academia.edu/71964999/Age_Dependent_Changes_of_Mediterranean_Trachurus_mediterraneus_Male_and_Female_from_Coastal_Waters_of_Sevastopol_Black_Sea_Ukraine
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Environmental Concerns in EU–Black Sea Affairs
01 Jul 2014
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19448953.2014.928537?journalCode=cjsb20
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Black Sea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea
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Results of Hydrochemical Monitoring of Sevastopol Black Sea’s Offshore Waters
Fall 2003
https://www.jstor.org/stable/4299233
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Microscopic Algae of Some Lakes of the North-Western Black Sea Coast (Ukraine)
2020
https://dl.begellhouse.com/journals/7dd4467e7de5b7ef,5b58101442747e33,57c0341b52f71f23.html?sgstd=1
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Diversity of Terrestrial Algae of Cape Kazantip (the Sea of Azov, Ukraine) and Some Remarks on their Phylogeny and Ecology
2020
https://dl.begellhouse.com/journals/7dd4467e7de5b7ef,1f3676ef1e9de368,7ef7817540bf0464.html?sgstd=1
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Algae of Biological Soil Crusts from Sand Dunes of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (Odesa Region, Ukraine)
https://dl.begellhouse.com/journals/7dd4467e7de5b7ef,3f4e157e27747fca,77e77f7303279e9d.html
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Soil Pollution in the Azov Territories of Rostov-on-Don and Taganrog
2021
http://www.jeeng.net/Soil-Pollution-in-the-Azov-Territories-of-Rostov-on-Don-and-Taganrog,140282,0,1.html
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First Data About Algae of Water Bodies of the Pivnichne Podillya National Nature Park (Ukraine)
2020
https://dl.begellhouse.com/journals/7dd4467e7de5b7ef,7306598f6f0af968,7a39503a64137cf6.html?sgstd=1
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Toxic marine microalgae and noxious blooms in the Mediterranean Sea: A contribution to the Global HAB Status Report
2020 Jun 12
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33875177/
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Eutrophication and Harmful Algal Blooms: A Scientific Consensus
2008
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC5543702/
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Floristic Composition and Taxonomic Structure of Algae in the Hyperhaline Reservoirs of the Northwestern Azov Sea Coast (Ukraine)
2020
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New Find of Rare Brown Alga Pleurocladia lacustris A.Braun (Phaeophyceae) from the Dnipro Estuary of the Black Sea (Ukraine)
2021
https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/7dd4467e7de5b7ef,1a4c9087609c941c,4c1ed4125a1000b6.html
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Dnieper River “Dying” Due to Pollution, Low Water Levels
4 Oct 2016
https://www.ooskanews.com/story/2016/10/dnieper-river-dying-due-pollution-low-water-levels_173479
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Sea lettuce, fed by pollution, spreads on Turkey’s Aegean coast
October 11, 2021
It is not as much of an eyesore as “sea snot” and can be confused with common seaweed; however, sea lettuce, which covers swathes of water in the Gulf of Izmir, is just as dangerous. A type of edible green algae, the species is so far exclusive to the northern gulf of the Aegean Sea and across a lagoon that hosts a diverse array of birds from flamingos to egrets in the south. Sea lettuce is not a new phenomenon. Yet, it is back and bigger than ever.
https://newyorkfolk.com/news/sea-lettuce-fed-by-pollution-spreads-on-turkeys-aegean-coast/
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Evaluation of Stormwater System Influence on the River Using Algae
February 2020
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338976932_Evaluation_of_Stormwater_System_Influence_on_the_River_Using_Algae
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Growing Potential for Toxic Algal Blooms in the Alaskan Arctic, Study Finds
Oct 07 2021
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Phytoplankton Characteristics of the Sasyk Reservoir (Ukraine)
2020
https://dl.begellhouse.com/journals/7dd4467e7de5b7ef,4b1a800a7b753e66,1caff3c67c7c15e0.html?sgstd=1
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Ecology of phytoplankton in the regional landscape park “Slavyansky Resort”, Ukraine
January 2015
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280492585_Ecology_of_phytoplankton_in_the_regional_landscape_park_Slavyansky_Resort_Ukraine
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Changes in the structure and dominance of the zooplankton community of the Kremenchuk Reservoir under the effect of climate changes
2021-07-08
https://ecology.dp.ua/index.php/ECO/article/view/1103
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Environmental changes in the Sulynska bay of the Kremenchuk reservoir / MODERN PROBLEMS AND WAYS OF THEIR SOLUTION IN SCIENCE
January 2013
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Crimea oil spill kills 30,000 birds
14 Nov 2007
More than 30,000 birds have died in the wake of the spill of thousands of tonnes of oil from the tanker that broke apart near the Black Sea at the weekend, says the governor of the disaster-hit region. Countless birds, weighed down by thick coatings of oil, are hopping weakly along the shore or sitting helplessly in the sand.
The storm off the Crimea peninsula grounded at least 11 ships, causing the deaths of three crew from another freighter, the Nakhichevan, which spilled sulphur into the Kerch strait, between the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. Rescuers were still looking for five missing crew, said Sergei Kozhemyaka, spokesman for the emergencies ministry.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/nov/14/oilspills.pollution
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Chemical pollution clean-up underway in annexed Crimea
Sep 19, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUjY-W4kois
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EVALUATION OF RESISTANCE OF BLACK SOILS OF THE CRIMEA TO POLLUTION WITH OIL AND HEAVY METALS USING BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
2014
https://core.ac.uk/display/44090248
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Adsorption Extraction of Chromium Ions (III) with the Help of Bentonite Clays
2020
http://www.jeeng.net/pdf-125545-54320?filename=Adsorption%20Extraction%20of.pdf
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Toxic pollution in Crimea: Kiev and Moscow stuck in blame game
Oct 4, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CU3xhHpzoY
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The pollution from Russia’s war will poison Ukraine for decades
Jun 2, 2022
From chemical leaks to rampant wildfires, these are the unseen costs of Russia’s invasion.
https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/2022/6/2/23143250/ukraine-russia-war-pollution-emissions-environment
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The environmental impact of rocket launches: The ‘dirty’ and the ‘green’
October 28, 2021
If the environment was your priority, which rocket would you choose?
https://www.space.com/rocket-launches-environmental-impact
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Russia-Ukraine war risks greater carbon pollution despite boost to clean energy
15.03.2022
https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-russia-climate-emissions-fossil-fuels/a-61130583
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Environmental damages due to war in Ukraine: A perspective
2022
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969722050318
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The Impact of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine on Climate Change Policy
March 7, 2022
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2022/03/07/the-impact-of-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-on-climate-change-policy/
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5 Biggest Environmental Problems Ukraine is Facing
June 6, 2022
https://www.ecomena.org/environmental-problems-ukraine-is-facing/
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The climate crisis and the invasion of Ukraine ‘have the same roots’, says expert
2022
https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/03/22/the-climate-crisis-and-the-invasion-of-ukraine-have-the-same-roots-says-expert
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Environmental impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_the_2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine
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How Vladimir Putin weaponised the environment in Ukraine
21 May 2022
The Russian army has burned forests and poisoned water supplies, flouting international law. As the UN draws up new guidelines, is it possible to wage an “eco” war?
https://www.newstatesman.com/long-reads/2022/05/how-vladimir-putin-weaponised-environment-in-ukraine
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Ukraine’s crops could be polluted for AT LEAST 100 years thanks to Russian bombs
2022
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukraine-s-crops-could-be-polluted-for-at-least-100-years-thanks-to-russian-bombs/ar-AA10JvO3
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Ukraine horror: Soil pollution from artillery may have long-lasting impact on crops
Aug 18, 2022
FARMERS in Ukraine may struggle to grow crops in war-torn crops for at least 100 years as a result of metal pollution caused by artillery bombardments.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1657267/ukraine-news-soil-pollution-artillery-crops-russia-putin-update
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Diversity Of Cyanoprokaryota In Sandy Habitats In Pryazov National Natural Park (Ukraine)
2017
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Antibiotic Resistance in Black Sea Microbial Communities
21 February 2022
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.823172/full
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Blueing the Black Sea Program: A Regional Initiative to Tackle Marine Pollution and Climate Change in Support of the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea (BBSEA)
22 March 2021
http://www.bsec-bsvkc.org/UploadedDocuments/BlueingTheBlackSeaProject/Moldova/MD_webinar_Summary.pdf
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Ukraine: UN experts warn of chemical disaster and water safety risk as conflict escalates in East
GENEVA (10 November 2017) – Ukraine is facing new risks of chemical disaster and water safety after an escalation of conflict near water supply facilities in the east of the country, two UN Special Rapporteurs have warned.
“We are alarmed by recent reports of shelling around water installations containing chlorine gas and other extremely dangerous chemicals in Donetsk region,” said Baskut Tuncak, an expert on human rights and hazardous substances, and Léo Heller, whose mandate covers safe drinking water and sanitation.
“Damaging installations containing substances such as chlorine gas and the destruction of water treatment facilities could have devastating consequences for the population and the environment of large areas in Eastern Ukraine,” they added.
Chlorine gas, which can cause severe health impacts and death by asphyxiation, has been used as a chemical weapon, but is not specifically listed as controlled under the Convention on Chemical Weapons. However, the use of any toxic chemical as a weapon, including chlorine, is forbidden under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The Donetsk water filtration station was reportedly shelled repeatedly between 3 and 4 November, causing damage to a back-up chlorine pipeline.
It is reported that if the main pipeline currently in use or any single 900kg bottle containing chlorine, stored in these facilities was hit, it could have killed anyone within a 200 metre radius, including the staff of the facility, and would have disrupted the water supply to almost 350,000 people on both sides of the contact line.
On 5 November, a second water filtration station, Verkhnokalmiuska, which supplies clean water to 800,000 people and stores 100 tons of chlorine gas, was hit by multiple shells. “Again, releasing toxic gas and destroying water supply facilities would have had devastating consequences for populated areas of Donetsk city, Makiivka and Avdiivka,” the experts said.
Mr. Tuncak, who has previously warned of the risks of chemical disasters in eastern Ukraine, added: “All parties involved in conflict must respect international humanitarian law, notably by taking into account the potential consequences of unleashing highly toxic chemicals on the civilian population.”
Mr. Heller noted: “Interference with water and sanitation supplies even in the context of conflict is entirely unacceptable. The rights of almost 1.1 million people’s access to safe drinking water and sanitation on both sides of the contact line are at risk of being affected if hostilities continue to hit water treatment facilities.”
Both experts called on the parties to hostilities to create and respect demilitarized zones around critical water sites in Donetsk region, as was agreed by the Trilateral Group on 19 July this year.
The experts also called for attention to structures at risk of collapse due to poor maintenance. A sludge collector at the phenol plant in Novhorodske has not been repaired after shell damage. Maintenance due every two weeks has not been carried out for a year. Reportedly, the dam around the collector is eroding, risking the release of liquid toxic waste into the Kryvyi Torets and Siverskyi Donets rivers.
“Ensuring access to, and adequate maintenance of, damaged sites containing hazardous substances is vital. We call on all parties to agree on and respect adequate security arrangements which would allow regular maintenance as well as repairs to be conducted safely,” concluded the human rights experts.
ENDS
Mr. Baskut Tuncak (Turkey) is Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes by the UN Human Rights Council in 2014. Mr. Léo Heller (Brazil) is the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation.
As Special Rapporteurs they are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22382
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Legislative Initiatives to Reduce Industrial Pollution in Ukraine
Oct 01, 2020
https://www.wwdmag.com/industrial-water/legislative-initiatives-reduce-industrial-pollution-ukraine
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Water Quality in Ukraine
March 24, 2017
https://borgenproject.org/water-quality-in-ukraine/
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Water Pollution in Ukraine: The Search for Possible Solutions
2004
https://www.oieau.org/eaudoc/system/files/documents/39/196243/196243_doc.pdf
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The Dnipro river is heading for ecological catastrophe
August 6, 2021
https://emerging-europe.com/news/the-dnipro-river-is-heading-for-ecological-catastrophe/
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The Impact of Industrial Pollution with Toxic Gases on Stem Histological Parameters of Woody Plant Undergrowth under Conditions of the Southern Industrial Zone of the City of Dnipro, Ukraine
October 2016
https://www.scipress.com/ILNS.59.62
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Dnipro River (Ukraine)
http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CD%5CN%5CDniproRiver.htm
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Dnipro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dnipro#Soviet_Union_and_Nazi_rule
Soviet Union and Nazi rule
The city was renamed after the Communist leader of Ukraine Grigory Petrovsky in 1926.
Dnipropetrovsk was under Nazi occupation from 26 August 1941[44] to 25 October 1943.[45] As part of the Holocaust, in February 1942 Einsatzgruppe D reduced the city’s Jewish population from 30,000 to 702 over the course of four days.
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Dnieper
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dnieper
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Is the Dnieper River polluted?
June 1, 2021
Where are the radioactive dumps in the Dnieper River?
The Dnieper is close to the Prydniprovsky Chemical Plant radioactive dumps (near Kamianske ), and susceptible to leakages of radioactive waste. The river is also close to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station ( Chernobyl Exclusion Zone) that is located next to the mouth of the Prypiat River .
https://www.sidmartinbio.org/is-the-dnieper-river-polluted/
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EU Water Initiative identifies more than 67,000 pollutants in Dnipro basin
February 26, 2021
https://euneighbourseast.eu/news-and-stories/latest-news/eu-water-initiative-identifies-more-than-67000-pollutants-in-dnipro-basin/
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Accumulation of radionuclides in Dnipro reservoir fish
2019
http://193.138.93.8/bitstream/BNAU/2409/1/Accumulation_%20radionuclides.pdf
In this work the questions concerning the influence of pollutants on the water bioresources of the Dnipro (Zaporizhzhia) reservoir are considered. The results of researches of fish pollution in the Dnipro (Zaporizhzhia) reservoir concerning natural and artificial radionuclides are presented. The general β-activity is determined, the levels of accumulation of natural and artificial radionuclides by hydrobionts are established. The limits of their distribution between organs and in the body of
individual fish species, depending on the type of food they eat, are given. The results of general β-activity in fish organs, depending on their type of food, are presented. The conducted studies of the content of radioactive contamination of hydrobionts in the reservoirs indicate that the increase in the content of radionuclides in the body depends on the type of food and the intensity of migration of radionuclides. The determined indicators of the status of aquatic organisms allow to establish the fish response to increased radioactive contamination, provide an opportunity to estimate the levels of accumulation of radionuclides in the organism of fish and their distribution in organs.
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Implementation of The Dnipro Basin Strategic Action Program
for the reduction of persistent toxics pollution
2009
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State Ecological Inspectorate: Dnipro River might dry up in 300 years
December 23, 2021
https://kyivindependent.com/national/state-ecological-inspectorate-dnipro-river-might-dry-up-in-300-years/
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Ukraine’s war-torn Donbas region is on the verge of environmental disaster
May 16, 2021
“For now, the Nova mine is coping with the waters,” a former worker said. “But this is nature, it can’t be predicted.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ukraine-s-war-torn-donbas-region-verge-environmental-disaster-n1266372
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On the ground in the grinding battle for the Donbas | Ukraine: The Latest | Podcast
Jul 11, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEd-8a3rWJE
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Russian-led militants release toxic ammonia in Donbas, provoking false-flag fears
January 15, 2022
https://kyivindependent.com/national/russian-led-militants-release-toxic-ammonia-in-donbas-provoking-red-flag-fears/
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Ukraine points to threat of chemical pollution in Donbas due to Russia
2022.01.16
According to the report of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, there is a threat of chemical pollution in parts of Donbas controlled by the militants. Kyiv believes that Russia can use the environmental disaster as a pretext for new aggression against Ukraine.
Ukrainian intelligence claims that “the Russian occupation administration has lost control over chemicals” brought into Donbas.
“According to Ukraine’s military intelligence, on January 14, tanks with ammonia were delivered to the PJSC “Concern Stirol” occupied by Russian troops in Horlivka, from which poisonous substances are leaking into the atmosphere due to the breach of airtightness.”
“The technogenic disaster caused by the actions of the Russian occupants can be used to accuse Ukraine of using poisonous chemicals and as a pretext to expand armed aggression against our state,” the official report of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s SDC reads…
https://belsat.eu/en/news/16-01-2022-ukraine-points-to-threat-of-chemical-pollution-in-donbas-due-to-russia/
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Regional-ecological approach to the assessment of possible aftermath of pollution of water basin of the Kalmius River
2013
https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/springer-journals/regional-ecological-approach-to-the-assessment-of-possible-aftermath-D0IUKARK5S
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Ukraine’s Donbas bears the brunt of toxic armed conflict
25 Jul 2018
Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region is an area with a fairly favourable climate, home to high plant biodiversity. In spring, several species of feather, sheep fescue and blue grass as well as forget-me-nots, and yellow cress, blossom in its steppes. It also possesses a wealth of mineral resources which include deposits of rock salt, gypsum, raw cement materials, flux limestone, and dolomite as well as granite and clays.
But Donbas is hardly famed for its biodiversity. For years it has been one of the country’s most polluted regions – as toxic waste from nearly two centuries of intensive coal mining, and chemical and metal industries accumulated in its soils. The region’s economy continues to this day to be dominated by the coal industry, machine building, metalworking, and production of construction material. The region’s Donetsk province, which contributes over 23.5 per cent to Ukraine’s exports, is home to 1,000 enterprises and organizations.
A significant amount of Donbas’ rural land – 80 per cent of which is arable – is also controlled by agricultural enterprises and farms, adding another source of pressure on the already threatened 50 mammal species, 38 species of fish, over 10 species of reptiles, and about 300 birds inhabiting the area. Additionally, the ongoing armed conflict – one of the bloodiest in Europe since the 1990s Balkans wars – has added another layer of significant and partially irreversible damage to local ecosystems.
The conflict has complicated solid waste management.
A year before the war broke out, the region hosted 5,500 industries which produced 4.3 million tons – equivalent to 44 per cent of the country’s emissions. Due to destruction of production infrastructure and emergency mechanisms, environmental degradation risks have significantly increased.
And the damage doesn’t stop there: the Siverskyi (Seversky) Donets River – the most polluted river in Ukraine before the conflict – is a tributary of the Don River, flowing through the neighbouring Russian Federation.
Pollution of the 650-mile long waterway, generated by the conflict, continues to pose health risks for the population living along the Don, for whom the river is the main source of water. Suspension of farming gave weeds and rodent mice space to thrive and reproduce, further endangering public health.
“Donbas is on the precipice of an ecological catastrophe fueled by air, soil and water pollution from the combustion of large amounts of ammunition in the fighting and flooding at industrial plants. There is an urgent need for ecological monitoring to assess and minimize the environmental risks arising from the armed conflict,” said UN Environment Programme Analyst Dr. Leila Urekenova.
During the war, institutions which protect nature reserves have lost staff. This has led to an increase in environmental law violations, massive poaching, illegal logging and the disruption of waste management operations. Invasive species such as jackal, sunfish and the Asian lady beetle have also expanded and colonized the conflict zone and adjacent areas.
A mining waste dump in the town of Horlivka near the frontline in the Donbas.
The forests in the Donetsk and Lugansk provinces of Donbas region play a crucial role in the natural and man-made landscapes, by preventing wind and water erosion and by ensuring the stability of water supply bodies. Besides creating a favourable environment for the local fauna and flora, the region’s massive pine forests play a key social and economic role, as they are often used for recreation, hunting, and mushrooms, berries, and herbs picking.
According to an assessment carried out by UN Environment’s Science-Policy Platform on Environment and Security, the conflict has affected, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems within an area of at least 530,000 hectares, including 18 nature reserves covering an area of 80,000 hectares. Furthermore, 150,000 hectares of forests have been impacted, with 12,500 forest fires blazing through the military operations zone and adjacent areas.
A Ukrainian military field camp near Dmitrivka in the north of Luhansk. The forests in Donbas have been impacted by mechanical and chemical components of weaponry used in the conflict.
In 2014 alone, the lack of forest protection and the fighting led to the near irreversible destruction of 479 hectares of forests. The fighting has had direct mechanical and chemical impacts on trees, including shrapnel damage of barks, branches, tops, ground vegetation, weakening or killing individual trees and entire plantations. The military operations zone has also been contaminated by unexploded ordnance whose elimination could take years or decades, based on the experience of other countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Macedonia.
UN Environment is working with countries and communities to prevent, or reverse, environmental degradation and mismanagement. As the leading global authority on the environment, it also promotes a more proactive approach to environmental risk and disaster reduction in the long term. This will enhance the ability of communities to withstand shocks and environmental change.
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Donbas: A Ticking Toxic Time Bomb
March 30, 2017
As the fighting between the Ukrainian army and Russia-backed forces re-ignited at the end of January 2017, various news reports highlighted the shelling of industrial sites. Calls by the United Nations and Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) warned of a looming environmental disaster if one of those locations storing hazardous chemicals was hit, and could lead to a severe health crisis. This article aims to use open-source and satellite data to identify several sites at risk of shelling, and highlight the environmental health risks associated with such a looming disaster. One fatal mortar or shell could set in motion a series of chemical incidents, which would have a long-lasting impact on the health and well-being of the Donbas’ civilians caught in the crossfires.
A history of violence
The Donbas region has been severely hit by the ongoing conflict since it broke out in 2014. Since the outbreak of the armed violence, thousands of civilians have been killed or injured, and the ongoing shelling in towns and cities continues to put the lives of civilians at risk. Besides the risk of being killed or injured, the ongoing use of explosive weapons in populated areas by all poses a risk to the houses people live in, their schools, hospitals, and services such as water and electricity, which all add up to the dire conditions people live in. A pressing characteristic throughout the Donbas region is the presence of large-scale heavy industry. This adds to the risks posed to civilians through the risk of environmental pollution and related health issues for local civilians. This article focuses on the often overlooked, or at minimum under-reported, risks of the impact of the conflict on the environment.
Prior to the conflict, pollution was already a major issue in the region resulting from of decades of mining and the presence of large-scale chemical industrial sites. According to a World Bank assessment conducted in 2015,
“Donbas is estimated to host about 900 large industrial plants, including 140 collieries, 40 metallurgical plants, 7 thermal power stations, and 177 chemically dangerous operations, including 113 operations that use radioactive materials. Environmentally, the most harmful industry is mining, which comprises 248 mines, many of which are run-down and nonfunctioning. In addition, the region is also traversed by 1,230 kilometers of oil, gas, and ammonia pipelines. By 2002, an estimated 10 billion tons of industrial waste had accumulated in Donbas, equivalent to a total of 320,000 tons per square kilometre”.
The World Bank assessment highlights grave concerns over conflict-related environmental pollution, in particular between 10-20 mines were damaged, creating problems with hazardous waste and water, soil and land contamination. Power plants were hit by artillery and rocket shelling, which could have resulted in both the breakdown of electricity to pumping stations, and release of toxic polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBSs), as well as crude oil spillage. Chemical production facilities and storage sites were also attacked, potentially creating local environmental pollution hotspots. Water supply infrastructure and sewage systems were severely damaged, as were sanitation facilities, which, as the World Bank report noted, could disproportionately impact vulnerable groups, including women, girls, and poor families.
The environmental research NGO ZoI, published an article and general map in March 2017 with an overview of areas of concern in the Donbass region, visualizing some of the locations most at risk. In the meantime, shelling of critical locations continued, adding more sites to the rapidly expending list of potential environmental hotspots. As demonstrated in a previous report on Ukraine on Bellingcat, we identified the huge risks of targeting Water Filtrations Stations in Donetsk, as these locations store large quantities of liquefied chlorine gas.
Data sources on potential environmental hotspots
In order to locate various sites at risk of creating chemical incidents during the ongoing fighting, we used various information sources to check and verify the locations. We looked at locations that have likely stored large quantities of chemicals that could pose a serious public health risks if they were released into the environment due to shellings and explosions. Several open-source tools have been helpful in identifying these sites.
Wikimapia is a useful initial starting point to get a sense where of these industrial sites, waste management locations, water treatment facilities, and mine quarries are located. Subsequently, using the different frontline maps and reported incidents on liveuamap.com, it was possible to see if some of these locations were shelled. A warning should be given that the sources used by this website are not always accurate, thus verification through other sources was performed where possible.
Next, we accessed the online database Evard, which was available on http://danger.in.ua. Yet, at the time of writing this article, the website and database appear to be offline, though some sections can be retrieved through the Archive.org Wayback Machine and Google Cache. This database helped provide an overview of locations, type of chemicals processed at each locations and past-pollution incidents at various locations in Donbas (and the rest of Ukraine). The Google Map overview of the database is still online, and can be found here:
Selection of sites
Ongoing shelling from both sides in the conflict near various locations at risk of a chemical incident has substantially increased the chance of such an event happening. For this article, we looked at at the aformentioned databases and news articles on locationss that have been reported to be at severe risk of creating a chemical incident that could pose direct and long-term health and environmental risks to civilians. From this long-list, we selected a short-list based on 1) whether we could locate the industrial site with the information available, 2) whether they were expected to be at risk of shelling, and 3) whether the industrial site is expected to store toxic substances that would pose an environmental risk when the location was being hit by shelling or explosions. In some reports, no site could be located that was of risk. For example, this OSCE report from February 2017 only noted that there were “reports of explosions at industrial facilities and damage in residential areas”, referring to witnesses that noted explosions at “a chemical plant in Donetsk”, even though no specific information was given on the location. There are also a number of low-risk sites located further away from the frontlines, such the Azot chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk, the Zarya chemical plant in Rubizhne, and the Linik oil refinery and storage facility in Lysynchansk. The following sites have sprung up as of immediate risk to being shelled, thereby creating potential risk to the environment and population
Avdiivka Coke Plant
This industrial site has frequently been covered in the news as there were numerous reports of direct hits at the facility. The factory is the biggest coke producer in Ukraine, and in the top 5 in the EU. On its own website, it’s noted that the factory produces various coke related products.
“…from coal tar and coke gas extruded at coal coking process. In particular they are coal raw benzene, electrode pitch coke, electrode coal tar pitch (molten or hard as granules), technical sulfur acid, ammonium sulfate, coal oil, phenolates, naphthalene faction, coke raw material for high-structural technical carbon production.”
In short, the location processes and hosts large amount a wide range of chemical products . At the time of writing this article, Avdiivka reported that 320 shells exploded on the plant territory, and 10 employees have been killed since June 2014, while over 50 have been wounded. According a BBC report from April 2015, the factory is at risk of being targeted by intense shelling because the Ukrainian army uses the location for its own troops
In May 2015, the OSCE reported that the factory was hit by 45 artillery and mortar rounds, creating fires and an ammonium leak. Continues fighting near the coke plant throughout 2016 and 2017 certainly puts this location high on the list of chemical incident risks.
Novhorodske Phenol Factory
This factory, located 35km north of Donetsk, uses naphthalene, phenol and other toxic chemicals. Phenol is a toxic substance that is also known as carbolic acid, hydroxybenzene, monohydroxybenzene, among other names. Phenol is a flammable, highly corrosive chemical with a sickeningly sweet, acrid odor. Phenol is well-absorbed by all routes of exposure to the human body, and exposure by any route can cause systemic effects. Various environmental exposure routes, such as groundwater pollution, have been noted in studies.
The chemical waste generated by the on-site production is stored in a reservoir near Novhordoske, and also located in the vicinity of critical water resources. According to the director of the phenol factory, the reservoir, storing carbonated sediment from the chemical process, requires immediate repairs. The OSCE observed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces and forces associated with the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) are separated by 400 meters, with the chemical waste water pond in between them. Concerns have been raised since 2015 over a potential disaster of a direct hit a the factory, which could result in both a health risk to local residents, and wider environmental problems.
Water filtration stations near Donetsk
A couple of water filtration stations in the Donbas have seen serious risks of being targeted in the last couple of years A direct hit on these stations could potentially lead to a chemical incident, or pose long-term problems if water infrastructure is damaged, as it would prevent the local population from having access to clean water. For a more in-depth analysis on these sites and wider consequences, see our article “Water Filtration Plants and Risks of a Chlorine Mass-Casualty Event in Donetsk”. We have short-listed three locations below based on the article.
1. Verkhnikalmiuska Filter Station (VFS): The facility is based on the southern edge of Yasynuvata. The water filter station contains more than 300 tons of liquefied chlorine stored in pressurized tanks, and used for water disinfection. In the case of an incident, large amounts of chlorine gas could be released and pose an acute health risk in a 200-meter radius, depending on weather conditions and quantities released. Estimates are that in a worst-case scenario, it could potentially affect 400,000 people. Recent satellite images have shown “DNR” forces stationing artillery nearby the VFS, which could poses risks to the locations if these artillery pieces were targeted.
2. Donetsk Water Filtration Station (DFS): The DFS is located on the frontline in between Avdiivka and Yasynuvata, and stores 9,000 liters of liquefied chlorine. The site has been targeted on numerous locations and went through the eye of the needle when it comes risks of a chlorine-gas release as a result of a direct hit.
3. Gorlovska Filtering Station Nr. 2: This facility west of Horlivka has been shelled numerous times in 2016, leading to a plea from the ICRC to stop targeting these facilities, as over 2 million people depend on the water provided by these facilities.
Mikhailivka Transformer Station (MTS)
This transformer station is part of the HVDC Volgograd-Donbas power supply route, and provides electricity to the villages situated in the so-declared area of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR), with some villages including Zolote, Pervomaisk, Irmino, Stakhanov and Kiroysk. Recent reporting indicates that the water supply to the factory has been shut down, which could have consequences in the case of a fire. This type of power plant utilize various toxic materials as part of the energy production process. The locations host 12-valve bridges, each containing mercury diodes. The location has 100 diodes, each containing 32kg of mercury at the locations, thus in total hosting 3.2 tons of mercury. The current frontline is located 2km from the MTS, and in previous OSCE reports, several incidents of shelling were noted in the nearby village of Zolote, indicating a continuous threat of escalation that could affect this site.
Bakhmut Agrarian Union
The Bakhmut Agrarian Union is a large-scale livestock farm, located in the village of Novoluhanske, hosting over 94.000 pigs, and a poultry stock of around 310,000 generating large quantities of untreated waste. Prior to the conflict, the waste water was treated on-site and dispersed over the nearby lands. At the moment, shelling, and resulting erxplosive remnants of war, as well as mines in the area have prevented this process. This resulted in the accumulation of untreated waste in a nearby pond which has a capacity of storing over 1 million cubic meters of waste water. Reported shelling on the location puts this pond at risk of collapsing, which could result in a local environmental risk, and is in dire need of repairs.
Early January 2017, Ukrainian Armed Forces retook the pig farm in a swift move. More problematic is the recent move by the Ukrainian forces to dig themselves trenches at the site and surrounding fields. Satellite images from March 2017 show various trenches and defensive positions being set up, which could turn this site into a military target for separatists. Reports already indicate the farm was targeted several times by LNR forces.
Northwest of Novoluhanske is another site at risk: the Vuhlehirska Power Station. The plant was allegedly targeted over a 100 times with 152mm heavy artillery shells by LNR forces in 2015, which led to severe damage to the facility. Cut off electricity to civilian areas and industrial sites could both exgravate humanitarian problems due lack of heating and other electricity needs, or absence of power for various systems used in mining activities such as pumping stations. This could result in flooding of the mines and further environmental contamination.
Nikitovsky Mercury Mine Plant
The Nikitovsky Mercury Mine Plant is a well-known toxic hotspot due to of decades of mercury mining. As of today, there are five abandoned mercury mines at a depth of 40 to 180 meters, a waste dump, and closed mercury high concentrations of mercury in the soil and water. The location is tagged in the first danger category with regulatory sanitary zone of 1000. A report on Worldwide Mercury Hotspots notes that the disease incidence of population continues to grow and locals still continue to conduct open gardening near the site. Vegetation and crops are likely to have strong elevated of mercury uptake.
There are no known reports of the site being shelled, despite being close to the frontline. However, controls, or the enforcement of restrictions on access to this site, are absent, and thus could exacerbate exposure to civilians entering the area or utilizing the soil for community gardening.
Luhansk Thermal Power Plant
The Luhansk thermal power plant is located northwest of Luhansk, providing electricity to the city of Luhansk and surrounding villages. In 2014, local Ukrainian Armed Forces commanders stated that they mined the factory and threatened to blow it up if separatist forces advanced and attempted to take over the factory.
Several incidents with shelling of the power plant have been reported since the outbreak of the conflict that inflicted damage or led to a halt of operations. Power plants can host large quantities of PCBs, which could result in local pollution of soil and water if the factory was indeed damaged by attacks.
Uncontrolled explosions ammunition storage sites
Apart from direct health risks associated with blasts of ammunition depots, research indicates that there might well be long-term environmental problems due to the spread of munition-originated heavy metals and other toxic munition constituents. Historical incidents with unplanned explosions at munitions sites show the potential for water and soil contamination as a result of widespread uncontrolled dispersal of a range of munitions and explosives. As a recognised problem around gun ranges or manufacturing and disposal facilities, efforts to predict the risk munitions residues may pose have generated a complex debate surrouding dose-effect relationships, human exposure pathways, mixture toxicology and environmental behaviour. Decades of civilian and military research into the health hazards associated with firing, manufacture and disposal have demonstrated that long-term consequences for humans and the environment are feasible.
Several incidents occurred in the Ukrainian conflict, ranging from the shelling of munition factories to uncontrolled explosions of stockpiles, either as a result of sabotage or bad management practice. In September 2014, there was a huge explosion at the Donetsk State Factory of Chemical Products. This location, in separatist-held territory southwest of the Donetsk Airport, hosts various workshops, including the production of explosives. More incidents at the same location occurred in October 2014, February 2015, and in February 2017. Additional unverified reports of munition dumps explosions indicated incidents took place in 2016 in Zeytsevo, near Gorlivka; in 2015 in Svatove, Luhansk. The latter explosion set of 3,500 tons of ammunition, which affected 10,000 people in nearby villages who needed support of the Ukrainian Red Cross for emergency shelter and food.
On March 22, 2017, a huge explosion took place in an ammunition depot in Balakliya, located in the Kharkiv Oblast, northwest of separatist-controlled territory. The blast set off multiple explosion at the site, which reportedly was storing 138,000 tons of ammunition. According to an initial statement by the Ukrainian government, the explosion was set off by saboteurs, possibly with use of a drone equipped with explosives, although mishandling of munitions could very well be the actual cause. Lack of safe storage and management of munitions have historically been a main cause of explosions, rather than attacks. Social media footage seemed to indicate open storage of a range of munitions crates, mortars, and artillery shells.
The above-described incidents reaffirmed that munition stockpiles create explosive risks to local communities, and that these depots should be monitored for long-term planning. Such an assesment will have consider heavy metal pollution and other toxic risks associated with munition pollution that could pose soil and groundwater pollution. A recent press statement by the Ukrainian Ministry of of Ecology and Natural Resources on the Balaklyia blast affirmed the need for environmental rehabilitation.
Other conflict-related environmental risks
The collapse of environmental governance and the absence of law enforcement in the Donbas have also led to the increased dumping of chemical waste. The OSCE reported in August 2014 that civilians have protested against the illegal dumping of toxic waste around Stryi, concerned that it would affect their health. Environmental research undertaken by a regional inspection agency showed that high levels of lead, copper and cadmium were present in the soil of suspected dump sites. It’s likely this has occurred more often since July 2014 due to the absence of controls and inspection.
Lastly, the Donbas’ industry is heavily reliant on mining activities. As noted by the World Bank report, Ukraine used to operated 138 mines. Recently, experts analysed [PDF] and underlines the risks of flooded mines due to absence of management and break down of pumping station due to electricity cuts (that could be caused by targeting power plants). It is estimated that there are 35 flooded mines, including one nuclear site in Yenakiyvo, while other flooded mines could result in poisoned and sometimes radioactive waters polluting the Siverskyi Donets River and Azov Sea, while strontium isotopes can flow into the Black Sea.
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Donbas: A new ‘black hole’ in Europe
7. May 2015
Military observation post in Shirokine, south-east Ukraine, the current front line.
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The struggle ongoing to prevent an environmental catastrophe in war-torn Donbas
2021/06/25
It is now the seventh year that Ukraine bears the brunt of hostilities in its east which had started back in 2014. In this war, some 14,000 were killed, 1.4 million became internal refugees, and the number of those affected stands at 5.2 million. While populations living near the front-line have faced conflict-related hazards such as shellings and mine contamination, the entire region sees the gradual deterioration of long-standing and new environmental issues, while some warn of a looming environmental catastrophe.
https://euromaidanpress.com/2021/06/25/the-struggle-to-prevent-an-environmental-catastophe-in-war-torn-donbas/
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Role of tributaries in Donbas in ensuring the quality of the Siverskyi Donets river surface water
December 2019
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337879557_Role_of_tributaries_in_Donbas_in_ensuring_the_quality_of_the_Siverskyi_Donets_river_surface_water
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New systems of environmental governance have emerged in the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk republics.
May 21, 2020
https://ceobs.org/exploring-environmental-governance-in-eastern-ukraine/
____________________________[Rain runoff, snow melt and irrigation waters as the chief factor in the pollution of the Kal’mius River within the boundaries of Donetsk]
1979 Aug
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TOXICOLOGICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL ESTIMATION LEVEL
OF POLLUTION ECOSYSTEMS IN THE INDUSTRIAL REGION
OF UKRAINE – KRIVOY ROG CITY
2020
https://wiadlek.pl/wp-content/uploads/archive/2020/WLek202009212.pdf
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Screening of legacy and emerging substances in surface water, sediment, biota and groundwater samples collected in the Siverskyi Donets River Basin employing wide-scope target and suspect screening
2021 Sep 15
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34818787/
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Spatial distribution of heavy metals in soils of the flood plain of the Seversky Donets River (Russia) based on geostatistical methods
29 August 2020
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Spatial-distribution-of-heavy-metals-in-soils-of-of-Linnik-Bauer/51916032f51c7baf4b94f948f6d1b68cff0958b0
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Role of tributaries in Donbas in ensuring the quality of the Siverskyi Donets river surface water
2019
http://uhmj.org.ua/index.php/journal/article/view/132
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Assessment of the water pollution level and the environmental status of rivers in the Siverskyi Donets basin by BOD5
2020
http://uhmj.org.ua/index.php/journal/article/view/158
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Assessment of changes in the water quality along the length of the Siverskyi Donets river at the beginning of the 21st century
2019
https://doaj.org/article/1364dc1c62f449bc8cadebf91b95d32c
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Announcement: Presentation “Formula of a Ukrainian river: results of chemical research of the Siversky Donets and the Dnister basins, new risks and prospects”
12.03.2020
https://uacrisis.org/en/podii/75168-anons-formula-ukrayinskoyi-richki-rezultati-himichnih-doslidzhen-basejniv-siverskogo-dintsya-ta-dnistra-novi-riziki-ta-perspektivi
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Nutrient Losses to the Siverskyi Donets and Dniestr River Basins (Ukraine)
2020
https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2020/EGU2020-10587.html?pdf
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Ecological changes in geological media and Siverskyi Donets River basin under the condition of goal mines flooding
January 2021
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352876255_Ecological_changes_in_geological_media_and_Siverskyi_Donets_River_basin_under_the_condition_of_goal_mines_flooding
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Major Rivers Of Ukraine
April 25 2017
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/major-rivers-of-ukraine.html
Ukraine is located in Eastern Europe and has a total area of 233,062 square miles. Within this area, the country has 1,729 miles of coastline along the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The various regions within the country have diverse habitats and geographic characteristics ranging from highlands to lowlands and plains to plateaus. The entire country has several rivers running through it. This article takes a look at some of the longest rivers in the nation.
Major Rivers of Ukraine
Danube
The Danube River spans a length of 1,777 miles and is the second longest river in Europe. It is the longest river that passes through Ukraine, although it also runs through several other countries as well. Ukraine is the last country to see the Danube before it empties into the Black Sea. It creates the Danube Delta in both Ukraine and Romania. Around 272 square miles of its total 1,603 square miles are in Ukraine. In this delta, the Danube splits into 3 rivers, becoming the Chilia, the Sulina, and the Saint George. The area creates 23 major ecosystems, including the Pannonian Steppe grasslands, wetlands, swamps, and the “before-delta” where freshwater and saltwater mix. These habitats provide homes to diverse plant and animal species. Over 320 bird species can be found here in the summer, around half of which are migratory. During the winter, the area is filled with millions of birds. The waters are home to a number of fish, including pike, perch, and carp. Along the river, poplars, oak, and willow trees can be found.
Dnieper
The Dnieper River is the second longest river that passes through Ukraine. It has a total of 1,423 miles, shared among Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. More of the Dnieper runs through Ukraine than the Danube, a total of 680 miles. It provides an important navigation route for trade and is an important part of the economy. Additionally, it is a source of hydroelectric power for the country and as such, has a number of hydroelectric states, dams, and reservoirs. Two of these hydroelectric stations are the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station and the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. The reservoirs have large ship locks that allow for ships as big as 886 feet by 59 feet, both passenger and cargo ships navigate the river. This river is also the native habitat for the Quagga mussel, which has now become an invasive species around the world.
Dniester
The third longest river that runs through the country is the Dniester. It has a total length of 846 miles, 247 of which are in nearby Moldova. The 600 miles running through Ukraine create the Dniester Canyon, which is between 260 and 660 feet. The canyon area hosts arboreal and shrub-like trees as well as a number of other plant and animal species. This river is considered to have the cleanest waters in the country.
Other rivers found in Ukraine are listed in the chart below.
Environmental Threats
The rivers within the nation of Ukraine face several environmental threats, including urban development, tourism, agricultural runoff, industrial pollutants, and fishing. Of note, is the risk of radioactive waste contamination. The previously mentioned Dnieper river is near a radioactive dump site and near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, a restricted zone with high levels of radioactive contamination after the 1986 accident. Developments along the rivers and within the Danube Delta are altering the ecosystem and disrupting the breeding patterns of fish. In addition, agricultural runoff and overfishing have resulted in decreased fish populations.
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Use of freshwater mollusk shells for monitoring heavy metal pollution of the Dnieper ecosystem on the territory of Smolensk oblast
November 2009
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238488607_Use_of_freshwater_mollusk_shells_for_monitoring_heavy_metal_pollution_of_the_Dnieper_ecosystem_on_the_territory_of_Smolensk_oblast
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Application of molluscs for radioecological monitoring of the Chernobyl outburst
1996
Accumulation of radionuclides was studied in molluscs from the territories polluted by the Chernobyl outburst. In addition to radiochemical evaluation of (90)Sr, a simple method of beta-radiometry of shells was applied which allowed processing of extensive samples and mapping of contamination of large territories: the Dnieper drainage area and the Kiev administrative region. Pre-Hiroshima and pre-Chernobyl radioactivity was investigated in museum collections. Differences in (90)Sr accumulation in molluscs of different genera were demonstrated for freshwater and terrestrial snails, an especially high accumulation factor was found in Helix. Indices of relative accumulation were calculated treating Lymnaea stagnalis as a standard. All the measurements were recalculated to this standard in order to provide comparisons between sampling sites disregarding collected species and to reduce variance before mapping. Based on shell beta-activity measurements, the average accumulation factor for (90)Sr in Lymnaea compared to its concentration in the river water was about 5000, its transfer factor compared to the soil contamination was about 0.1 m(2) kg(-1), figures for (137)Cs were smaller by an order of magnitude. Inverse dependence between free calcium content in the environment and the transfer factor was demonstrated, as well as a difference in (90)Sr/(137)Cs ratio in molluscs collected on different tracks of Chernobyl pollution. Monitoring the biologically accessible and biologically active fraction of (90)Sr contamination, the shell beta-activity above 15 kBq kg(-1) indicates a dangerous level of contamination for the human population.
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Are zebra mussels eating or helping toxic algae?
June 24, 2021
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210624135534.htm
While invasive zebra mussels consume small plant-like organisms called phytoplankton, researchers discovered during a long-term study that zebra mussels can actually increase Microcystis, a type of phytoplankton known as ‘blue-green algae’ or cyanobacteria, that forms harmful floating blooms.
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Assessment of a Possibility of the Use of Aquatic Macrophytes for Biomonitoring and Phytoindication of the Contamination of Natural Waters by Heavy Metals
2020
https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/38cb2223012b73f2,6c83345d69db7165,4533500261d99e0e.html
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A report of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii and other cyanobacteria in the water reservoirs of power plants in Ukraine
21 April 2018
Abstract
The occurrence of cyanobacteria in freshwaters attracts much attention due to its associated health threats and ecological implications. Yet data on the composition of cyanobacteria taxa and toxigenicity in some regions is still scarce. Here, we explored the occurrence of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in three locations in Ukraine (reservoir for Kasperivtsi Hydrothermal Power Plant and outflowing River Seret, and cooling pond of Khmelnytsky Atomic Power Plant) in summer 2017. Cyanobacteria were a dominant fraction at all stations. A number of potent-toxin producers were identified including Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Aphanizomenon gracile, Dolichospermum flos-aquae, and Planktothrix agardhii. Screening for the presence of dissolved and particulate content of microcystins (-LR, -YR, and -RR), cylindrospermopsin, and anatoxin-a yielded negative results. The studied waters displayed no toxicity in human platelets in vitro. Further toxicological and ecological studies are necessary to evaluate the potential presence of cyanotoxin producers in Ukraine.
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Radioactive pollution of the Chernobyl cooling pond bottom sediments. I. Water-physical properties, chemical compound and radioactive pollution of pore water
2011
https://doaj.org/article/26f6299eee754f32bc50aff51f3bfd78
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[Radioecological problems of aquatic ecosystems of the Chernobyl exclusion zone]
2010
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19507688/
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Radiation-induced cytogenetic and hematologic effects on aquatic biota within the Chernobyl exclusion zone
2015 Oct 9
Abstract
During 1998-2014 the rate of chromosomal aberrations in embryo tissues of the pond snail (Lymnaea stagnalis) and root meristems of higher aquatic plants, and also hematologic indexes of mantle liquid of the adult snails and peripheral blood of fishes in water bodies within the Chernobyl exclusion zone (EZ) was studied. The absorbed dose rate for hydrobionts from water bodies of the EZ registered in a range from 0.25 to 420 μGy h(-1) and in the reference ones – up to 0.09 μGy h(-1). The level of chromosomal aberrations in the molluscs from the most contaminated water bodies of the EZ was registered within range of 18-27% and for the molluscs from the reference lakes this index was on the average 1.5% with the maximal values 2.3%. The rate of chromosomal aberrations in root meristematic cells of higher aquatic plants from the contaminated lakes of the EZ was in range of 7-17% and in the plants from reference water bodies was not exceed 2.1%. The positive correlation between chromosomal aberration rate and absorbed dose rate in the pond snail’s embryos and root meristems of higher aquatic plants in water bodies of the EZ was registered. Analysis of hemolymph structure of snails from the most contaminated water bodies showed a high rate of dead and phagocytic cells as well as decrease of the young amoebocytes quantity. Hematologic research of fish allows to determine on the one hand an insignificant changes of leukogram structure, and from the other hand a high level of red cells with different abnormalities in the peripheral blood of fishes from the water bodies with high levels of radioactive contamination. It is suppose that qualitative indexes of red cells in peripheral blood of fish are more sensitive to long-term radiation impact in comparison with elements of white blood, which can be used for conducting of the hematologic monitoring of radioactive contaminated water bodies.
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Preliminary Assessment of Ecological Status of the Siversky Donets River Basin (Ukraine) Based on Phytoplankton Parameters and Its Verification by Other Biological Data
November 2021
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356680180_Preliminary_Assessment_of_Ecological_Status_of_the_Siversky_Donets_River_Basin_Ukraine_Based_on_Phytoplankton_Parameters_and_Its_Verification_by_Other_Biological_Data
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Moldova and the Dniester River – Dammed by Ukraine
November 4, 2021
https://balkaninsight.com/2021/11/04/moldova-and-the-dniester-river-dammed-by-ukraine/
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Community based Dnister watershed management: role of formal and informal education
January 2007
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228477669_Community_based_Dnister_watershed_management_role_of_formal_and_informal_education
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River Dnister Pollution with Toxic Waste as a Result of Accident at Potassium Fertilizers Factory
https://cedb.asce.org/CEDBsearch/record.jsp?dockey=0100213
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Phenolics occurrence in surface water of the Dniester river basin (West Ukraine): natural background and industrial pollution
10 January 2007
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00254-006-0619-0
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The myth of water quality in the Dniester River. Beneficiaries of pollution
20/01/2020
● The Dniester river is very polluted and presents a danger to human health; it contains drugs, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.
● The Ukrainian and Moldovan authorities do not constantly check the water quality of the river.
● The Wastewater Treatment Plant of Apa-Canal Chisinau is the largest pollution source of the Dniester on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.
● Corruption and defective management significantly affect the quality of river water in both countries.
https://anticoruptie.md/en/investigations/social/the-myth-of-water-quality-in-the-dniester-river-beneficiaries-of-pollution
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Estimation of quality of surface water of Dniester river basin within Lviv and Khmelnytsk regions
https://www.ujecology.com/abstract/estimation-of-quality-of-surface-water-of-dniester-river-basin-within-lviv-and-khmelnytsk-regions-60964.html
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State of environment in the Dniester River Basin (West Ukraine)
February 2004
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8371910_State_of_environment_in_the_Dniester_River_Basin_West_Ukraine
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Current situation of water quality Dniester River basin in transboundary areas
October 2017
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328709561_Current_situation_of_water_quality_Dniester_River_basin_in_transboundary_areas
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Summary of Tailings Storage Facilities Research in the Dniester River Basin and in the Eastern Region of Ukraine
2 March 2021
https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/Nikolaieva%20Irina%20-%20Summary%20of%20Tailing%20storage%20Facilities%20Reserach.pdf
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TRANSBOUNDARY DIAGNOSTIC STUDY FOR THE DNIESTER RIVER BASIN
November 2005
https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/d/6/38320.pdf
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Protecting Ukraine’s Dniester Delta
November 7, 2014
https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/protecting-ukraines-dniester-delta
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Assessment of the chemical pollution status of the Dniester River Basin by wide-scope target and suspect screening using mass spectrometric techniques
29 April 2020
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00216-020-02648-y
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FARMED CYPRINIDS DISEASES FROM THE PRUT RIVER BASIN
2021
https://www.uaiasi.ro/revmvis/index_htm_files/Farmed%20cyprinids%20diseases%20from%20the%20Prut%20River%20Basin.pdf
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Fluorimetric Analysis of the Impact of Coal Sludge Pollution on Phytoplankton
10 December 2020
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S0006350920050024
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The long road to improving the water quality of the Western Bug River (Ukraine) – A multi-scale analysis
2014
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014JHyd..519.2436H/abstract
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Effect of Kiev-Odessa highway on the pollution of the Yuzhnyi Bug River by heavy metals
May 2006
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S0097807806030110
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Determination of Mercury Content in Surface Waters Using an Environmentally Non-Toxic Terminating Electrolyte
21 September 2020
Abstract
The paper presents results of the research on the dynamics of changes in the concentration of mercury in surface waters. The importance of mercury as an environmental pollutant results from specific properties of this metal, many sources of contamination, volatility, mobility, stability and high toxicity of its specific chemical forms. Samples of surface water collected from three rivers: the Bug, the Liwiec and the Muchawka were analysed. The Muchawka River flows into the Liwiec River, which in turn is a tributary of the Bug River. The technique of isotachophoresis was employed, using a solution of a biodegradable and environmentally non-toxic derivative of electrostatically stabilised silanates as the terminating electrolyte. The highest average mercury concentration of 0.89 μg/dm3 was determined in water samples collected from the Bug River in January, whereas the lowest concentration of 0.42 μg/dm3 was recorded in water collected from the Muchawka River in September.
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Researches of the chemical composition of surface water in Ukraine, 1920-2020 (review)
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Climate change in the Western Bug river basin and the impact on future hydro-climatic conditions
25 January 2014
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12665-014-3068-1
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Hydrologic effects of climate change in the Western Bug basin
2010
https://www.ufz.de/export/data/14/40637_Konf_beitrag_Kiev_2010_Pluntke.pdf
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Bug (river)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bug_(river)
Flooding
Significant floods during the last 60 years in Belarus were registered in 1958, 1962, 1967, 1971 and 1974. The largest spring flood was observed in 1979, when the maximum water discharge was 19.1 cubic metres per second on 24 March 1979, at the village of Chersk; 166 cubic metres per second near the village of Tyukhinichi (Lyasnaya river) on 31 March 1979; and 269 cubic metres per second near Brest on 1 April 1979. A similar spring flood occurred in 1999, when the spring run-off in March–May exceeded the average annual value by almost half again (48%).
The last time the Bug flooded in Poland and Ukraine was in 2010 and the last time it flooded in Belarus was in 1999.
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Southern Bug
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Bug
The Southern Bug, also called Southern Buh, and sometimes Boh River (Ukrainian: Бог, Polish: Boh), is a navigable river located in Ukraine. It is the second-longest river in Ukraine.
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Project financed by Swedish International Development Agency: INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING AND CAPACITY BUILDING FOR THE UKRAINIAN RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY River Basin Management Plan for Pivdenny Bug: river basin analysis and measures
January 2014
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268180951_Project_financed_by_Swedish_International_Development_Agency_INSTITUTIONAL_STRENGTHENING_AND_CAPACITY_BUILDING_FOR_THE_UKRAINIAN_RIVER_BASIN_MANAGEMENT_AUTHORITY_River_Basin_Management_Plan_for_Pivden
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Water quality assessment of the rivers of the Southern Buh Basin within Vinnytsia Region as per integral indicator of pollution
December 2021
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357042672_Water_quality_assessment_of_the_rivers_of_the_Southern_Buh_Basin_within_Vinnytsia_Region_as_per_integral_indicator_of_pollution
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Spring flood frequency analysis in the Southern Buh River Basin, Ukraine
2021-07-17
https://geology-dnu.dp.ua/index.php/GG/article/view/810
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CHEMICAL MONITORING OF WATER IN ZOLOTONOSHKA RIVER
2016
Purpose. Complex analysis of the factors of the current ecological state of the Zolotonoshka River. Methodology.
Water quality was evaluated in accordance with the compliance of individual indicators of water quality with the standard requirements of the maximum allowable concentration of harmful substances in the waters of fishery water bodies, with the water contamination factor and the environmental index. Results. The long-term data on key indicators
of hydrochemical state of the Zolotonoshka River are presented. It is shown that the main pollutants are nitrogen ammonia 1,5-6,1 MAC) and nitrite nitrogen 1,1-28,3 MAC), heavy metals, oil products. The pollution level of water by ammonium nitrogen by frequency is estimated as unstable but high. The pollution level of water by nitrites is indicative, high. The permanent pollution by ammonium nitrogen leads to the disruption of ecological balance and of self-purification processes in the river. The level of dissolved oxygen is significantly below the allowable values 3,6-4,6 mg/dm3). The constant deficiency of dissolved oxygen in the water does not provide the proper process of nitrification. The level of dissolved oxygen is significantly below the allowable values. The water of the Zolotonoshka River is characterized as “moderately polluted” according to contamination factor and according to environmental quality index is in “satisfactory condition, polluted”. There is a tendency of water quality impairment due to the combined effect of anthropogenic and natural factors. References 12, tables 2, figures 3.
http://www.kdu.edu.ua/EKB_jurnal/2016_1(21)/PDF/35-41_.pdf
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Largest flood in 50 years devastates western Ukraine (photos, videos). Why again?
2020/06/24
https://euromaidanpress.com/2020/06/24/largest-flood-in-50-years-devastates-western-ukraine-photos-videos/
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Satellite images show flooding north of Kyiv in possible sign of ‘hydraulic warfare’
March 9, 2022
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Pollution of the Mala Panew River sediments by heavy metals: Part II. Effect of changes in river valley morphology
26 December 2004
This paper examines the relations between the dispersal of sediment-borne heavy metals and changes in morphology of the Mala Panew River valley in southern Poland. Sediment samples were taken in 66 vertical profiles up to 60 cm deep, situated at different heights above a water table. Alluvial levels of similar width and height appear with different frequency along river banks within 7 selected 1km-long river valley reaches. Moreover, heavy metal concentrations at levels of similar height are similar throughout the Mala Panew valley. This suggests that both the width of the river valley over which sediment-associated heavy metals accumulated as well as the volume of these sediments stored within particular river reaches, change downstream. Generally, the wide, natural reaches of the river valley, which have been sinks for metal-associated sediments in the 20 th century, are an important secondary pollution source, whereas narrow valley reaches in which flow regulation caused incision of the river channel are mainly transition zones for the polluted sediments conveyed in the river valley.
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Pollution-of-the-Mala-Panew-River-sediments-by-Part-Ciszewski-Malik/e1e1ae1cd11d80832eb55be947b0a570553dd719
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Pollution of the Mała Panew River Sediments by Heavy Metals:
Part II. Effect of Changes in River Valley Morphology
2004
http://www.pjoes.com/pdf-87704-21563?filename=Pollution%20of%20the%20Mala.pdf
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Floods in Belarus, Ukraine, and Western Russia
April 7, 2004
https://visibleearth.nasa.gov/images/70666/floods-in-belarus-ukraine-and-western-russia/70666t
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Flooding in Carpathians: how Ukraine deals with the natural disaster
26.06.2020
https://uacrisis.org/en/flooding-in-carpathians
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Fear of hyperflooding and nuclear hazard on Dnieper River, Ukraine
April 05, 2012
http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2012/04/05/fear-of-hyperflooding-and-nuclear-hazard-on-dnieper-river-ukraine/
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Flooding in Western Ukraine: Causes, Lessons Learned, and Potential to Avoid Harmful Future Effects
29.09.2020
https://dniester-commission.com/en/news/flooding-in-western-ukraine-causes-lessons-learned-and-potential-to-avoid-harmful-future-effects/
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Avakov: Floods in Ukraine’s west destroy 22,000 homesteads
27.06.2020
https://www.unian.info/society/floods-in-ukraine-natural-disaster-destroys-22-000-homesteads-11053403.html
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Floods in western Ukraine: 180 populated areas flooded, 200 km of roads destroyed
27.06.2020
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-emergencies/3052934-floods-in-western-ukraine-180-populated-areas-flooded-200-km-of-roads-destroyed.html
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Flood in Ukraine: Ecocide and Attempts at Manipulations
June 28, 2020
https://www.promoteukraine.org/flood-in-ukraine-ecocide-and-attempts-at-manipulations/
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Ukraine flooding leaves three dead, hundreds homeless
June 24, 2020
https://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-flooding-leaves-three-dead-hundreds-homeless-170734466.html
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Seven Dead in ukraine Floods
Mar 8, 2001
https://www.news24.com/News24/Seven-dead-in-Ukraine-floods-20010308
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The Wetlands of Ukraine: The National Economy vs. the Environment
1997
Abstract
Ukraine has a favourable climate, an advantageous geographical position and abundant natural resources. Its wetlands play an important role in generating resources such as water, peat, minerals, plants, animals and recreational areas, which have a central place in the Ukrainian economy. In the mid-1920s, bogs and fens occupied over 3% of the country’s area. During the period of collectiviza tion, industrialization and large-scale land reclamation, marshlands fell under powerful pressure. The productivity of most of the drained land remains low, and drainage and reclamation are accompanied by a lowering of the water level in lakes and rivers, peat fires and a decrease in soil fertility. New kinds of wetlands are forming as a result of underflooding caused by poor planning and designing, building defects, the condition of the water economy in urbanized areas, huge water losses in irrigation systems and other factors. A dramatic increase in irrigated land has not brought about the expected increase in agricultural production. Disruption of water exchange processes has resulted in large-scale, severe erosion and salinization of chernozems, the most fertile soils in the south. Problems arising from a combination of irrational use of wetland resources and environmentally negligent policy- and decision-making have led to conflicts at various levels
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Ukraine floods: Why climate change and logging are blamed
2 July 2020
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53233387
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Ancient Climate-Change Event Puzzles Scientists
14 JUL 2009
An unexplained warming haunts the paleoclimate record
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Climate change impact on water availability of main river basins in Ukraine
2020
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Last Glacial Period
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Glacial_Period
____________________________
Flood events in Transylvania during the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age
2018
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0959683618804632
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Reconciling diverse diatom-based lake responses to climate change in four mountain lakes in the South-Carpathian Mountains during the last 17 kyrs
2017
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1040618216311314
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Diatom-based evidence for abrupt climate changes during the Late Glacial in the Southern Carpathian Mountains
2009
https://akjournals.com/view/journals/24/52/3-4/article-p249.xml
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Responses of diatoms to the Younger Dryas climatic reversal in a South Carpathian mountain lake (Romania)
05 May 2012
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10933-012-9618-1
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Late Middle and Early Upper Paleolithic Evidence from the East European Plain and Caucasus: A New Look at Variability, Interactions, and Transitions
September 1999
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233635621_Late_Middle_and_Early_Upper_Paleolithic_Evidence_from_the_East_European_Plain_and_Caucasus_A_New_Look_at_Variability_Interactions_and_Transitions
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Vegetation and palaeoclimate in the Miocene of Ukraine
2007
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S003101820700199X
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Holocene soil erosion in Eastern Europe-land use and/or climate controlled? The example of a catchment at the Giant Chalcolithic settlement at Maidanetske, central Ukraine
2020
The Younger Quaternary erosion history was reconstructed in a catchment close to the Chalcolithic giant settlement Maidanetske, central Ukraine based on dated sediment sequences. Four trenches and a long percussion drill-core were analyzed in a valley grading from a Loess covered plateau towards the Talianky River. The sediments were dated by a combination of radiocarbon dating, optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) and embedded artifacts. Although there is some weakness of numerical dating so far, a non-coincidence between phases of soil erosion and the local and regional settlement history over long periods of the Holocene is indicated. This, viewed in the light of the geographical setting of the site in the climate sensitive forest-steppe borderland, suggests climatically driven erosion processes. The detected phases of erosion coincide with global (cal 27.6 ± 1.3 kyrs BP, 12.0 ± 0.4 kyrs BP), northern hemispheric (cal 8.5 ± 0.3 kyrs BP), Mediterranean (cal 3.93 ± 0.1 kyrs BP) as well as western to central European (2700 to 2000 cal BP) climate anomalies. Increased occurrences of heavy precipitation events, probably during phases of a weakened vegetation cover, could explain the observed record. Investigations at additional sites in Eastern Europe are needed to verify the representativeness of the presented record from central Ukraine at a regional level.
The composition of the sediments indicates changes of the slope-channel connectivity during the deposition history. Whereas the glacial to early Holocene and modern times sediments were derived from the whole catchment area, during the mid- to late-Holocene a tendency to lower slope storage of colluvial material and valley incision is indicated.
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Limnological changes in South Carpathian glacier-formed lakes (Retezat Mountains, Romania) during the Late Glacial and the Holocene: A synthesis
2017
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1040618216308321
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Physico–chemical properties of some glacial lakes in the Romanian Carpathians
November 2013
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256483579_Physico-chemical_properties_of_some_glacial_lakes_in_the_Romanian_Carpathians
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Heavy metal pollution and forest health in the Ukrainian Carpathians
2003
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15046840/
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Impacts of forest loss in the eastern Carpathian Mountains: linking remote sensing and sediment changes in a mid-altitude catchment (Red Lake, Romania)
14 September 2018
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10113-018-1416-5
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Glacial-relict symptoms in the Western Carpathian flora
30 May 2018
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12224-018-9321-8
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Phylogeographic insights into cryptic glacial refugia
2008
https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/fulltext/S0169-5347(08)00249-8
____________________________
A dynamic history of admixture from Mediterranean and Carpathian glacial refugia drives genomic diversity in the bank vole
25 May 2021
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.7652
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Back from the Brink: The Holocene History of the Carpathian Barbel Barbus carpathicus
2013 Dec 12
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC3861402/
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Carbon accumulation rates of Holocene peatlands in central–eastern Europe document the driving role of human impact over the past 4000 years
21 Dec 2021
https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/17/2633/2021/
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A Review of Ice Core Drilling in Cave Environment – Challenges, Achievements and Future Directions
2021
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2021.720038/full
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The Geological and Tectonic Framework of Europe
http://weppi.gtk.fi/publ/foregsatlas/article.php?id=4
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Landslide Fens as a Sensitive Indicator of Paleoenvironmental Changes Since the Late Glacial: A Case Study of the Polish Western Carpathians
27 July 2018
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/radiocarbon/article/abs/landslide-fens-as-a-sensitive-indicator-of-paleoenvironmental-changes-since-the-late-glacial-a-case-study-of-the-polish-western-carpathians/20A68C950650D273906156C4B6B2D289
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Contrasting evolutionary origins of two mountain endemics: Saxifraga wahlenbergii (Western Carpathians) and S. styriaca (Eastern Alps)
11 January 2019
https://bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-019-1355-x
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Carpathian Mountains
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpathian_Mountains
____________________________
EVOLUTION OF THE PONTO-CASPIAN REGION DURING LAST 800 KA: EVIDENCE FROM BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA.
September 2007
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286921714_EVOLUTION_OF_THE_PONTO-CASPIAN_REGION_DURING_LAST_800_KA_EVIDENCE_FROM_BENTHIC_FORAMINIFERA
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Genetic consequences of Pleistocene range shifts: contrast between the Arctic, the Alps and the East African mountains
2007
https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.717.8018&rep=rep1&type=pdf
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“Unusual” Amounts of Snow Blanket Central Europe
October 15, 2020
https://electroverse.net/unusual-amounts-of-snow-blanket-central-europe/
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Arctic Blast Threatens Cold Records Across East U.S., Including 145-Year Low In Philly; Remarkable Cold For The Month Of March Sweeps Greenland; Antarctica Plunges -1.2C Below 1979-2000 Average; + Europe Freezes
March 28, 2022
https://electroverse.net/arctic-blast-threatens-records-in-east-u-s-greenland-cold-antarctica-falls-below-avg-europe-freezes/
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Study documents dramatic loss of remaining Pyrenees glaciers
September 3, 2021
https://apnews.com/article/europe-environment-and-nature-climate-change-glaciers-science–7396369998f132c714b3b351d6370257
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Biogeography of the Carpathians: evolutionary and spatial facets of biodiversity
2016
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309478496_Biogeography_of_the_Carpathians_evolutionary_and_spatial_facets_of_biodiversity
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Rock glacier dynamics in Southern Carpathian Mountains from high-resolution optical and multi-temporal SAR satellite imagery
2016
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0034425716300542
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Genetic differentiation of western capercaillie in the Carpathian Mountains: the importance of post glacial expansions and habitat connectivity
23 October 2015
https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article/116/4/873/2440559?login=false
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Post‐glacial history of the dominant alpine sedge Carex curvula in the European Alpine System inferred from nuclear and chloroplast markers
2008
https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/wiley/post-glacial-history-of-the-dominant-alpine-sedge-carex-curvula-in-the-nJDbCoexdu
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World’s glaciers ‘contain 20% less ice than previously thought’
07 February 2022
New estimates have profound implications for sea level rise and fresh water availability around the world
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/glaciers-ice-sea-level-rise-b2009551.html
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Holocene sea level and climate change in the Black Sea: Multiple marine incursions related to freshwater discharge events
2007
https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70031023
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Communities of Freshwater Macroinvertebrate and Fish in Mountain Streams and Rivers of the Upper Dunajec Catchment (Western Carpathians) Including Long-Term Human Impact
24 April 2019
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-12139-6_13
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Sea surface temperature change in the Black Sea under climate change: A simulation of the sea surface temperature up to 2100
24 July 2018
https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.5688
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Warmer winters are changing the makeup of water in Black Sea
August 15, 2019
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190815120650.htm
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The Impact of Climate Change on Black Sea Bass
April 13, 2021
https://www.onthewater.com/the-impact-of-climate-change-on-black-sea-bass
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Global warming threatens marine life in Black Sea
October 01 2021
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/global-warming-threatens-marine-life-in-black-sea-168275
Due to the effect of global warming, the water temperature of the Black Sea is rising abnormally, so much so that the marine biome of the partly-landlocked sea has come under a dire threat, Turkish experts have said
A scientific study led by Barış Salihoğlu, director of the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Middle East Technical University, shows that the Black Sea is under irreparable danger due to global warming.
Noting that the seawater temperature in the Black Sea has increased by 2 degrees Celsius in the last 60 years due to climate change, scientists warned that the ecosystem of the sea would irreversibly deteriorate if precautions were not taken…
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Anthropological pollution of the black sea cost waters
https://journals.mu-varna.bg/index.php/vmf/article/view/2083
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STUDY OF HEAVY METAL POLLUTION AND BIOACCUMULATION IN THE BLACK SEA LIVING ENVIRONMENT
2013
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/STUDY-OF-HEAVY-METAL-POLLUTION-AND-BIOACCUMULATION-Teodosiu-Jitar/8f68e377242f638b9a6181b3fa8c9755137346f0
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Toxic metals in the warty crab in the southern Black Sea: Assessment of human health risk
Mar 31, 2020
Abstract
The present study was performed to assess Cd, Pb, and Hg contaminations and human health risk in the warty crab Eriphia verrucosa (Forskål, 1775) in Akliman shores of Sinop Peninsula of the Black Sea. Heavy metals analysis was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Among studied toxic metals, Pb had the highest mean concentration in E. verrucosa. The highest mean concentration of Pb (0.2 mg per kg of wet weight) was observed in male samples of the warty crab. However, higher concentrations of Cd and Hg (0.11 and 0.019 mg per kg of wet weight, respectively) were observed in females of E. verrucosa. The mean Cd values found in the warty crabs were higher in May and June than those in July and August. On the other hand, Pb values were recorded in July and August. The mean Hg values were not different between months except July and August for male samples of E. verrucosa. Foraging seasons of these crabs are different, which can lead to differences in prey size and ultimately metals intake. However, the results show that a toxic heavy metal concentration in edible tissues of crab from the southern Black Sea was within the permissible limits given by national and international food codices. Target hazard quotient (THQ) for each metal and hazard index (HI) were calculated to evaluate non-carcinogenic human health risks. Estimated THQs of Cd, Pb, and Hg suggest that these metals in the warty crab do not pose any apparent threat to humans, when the HI value is below the value of 1. The result of the analysis has shown that the warty crab E. verrucosa can be used as bioindicator as it contains variable levels of the metals observed. Since consumption is the main source of heavy metal intake by humans, monitoring studies are needed to protect public health and take preventive measures.
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Toxic metals in tissues of fishes from the Black Sea and associated human health risk exposure
27 January 2017
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-017-8442-6
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Toxic metal (Pb, Cd, Cr, and Hg) levels in Rapana venosa (Valenciennes, 1846), Eriphia verrucosa (Forskal, 1775), and sediment samples from the Black Sea littoral (Thrace, Turkey)
2015
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X15002180
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Metal Pollution Assessment in Sediments of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coastal Zone
June 2020
http://web.uni-plovdiv.bg/mollov/EB/2020_vol12_iss1/179-189_eb.20102.pdf
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Oxic, Suboxic and Anoxic Conditions in the Black Sea
2005
https://www.ocean.washington.edu/people/faculty/jmurray/BlackSeaOverview.pdf
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Floodwater Reveals İllegal Dumping Site İn Black Sea Town
27.08.2015
Catastrophic rain that killed eight people in the Black Sea region of Artvin has revealed an illegal dumping site, as floodwater dragged piles of garbage towards the coast.
As garbage filled the coastal roads of Artvin, it came to light the Hopa and Arhavi municipalities had been illegally dumping waste on an area on the backside of a mountain’s outskirts.
Following the disastrous rain and landslides of Aug. 24, floodwater washed away the area between the district’s Çamlıkköy and Fener neighborhoods, causing piles of garbage to accumulate along the city’s shores.
The mayor of Hopa, Nedim Cihan of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), has assumed responsibility for the accumulation of waste on the mountain’s outskirts.
“This area has been used as a dumping site for years. From time to time, we also dumped garbage there. The waste got dragged towards the coast but we will clean the contaminated areas” Cihan said.
Meanwhile, Arhavi Mayor Coşkun Hekimoğlu, also from the AKP, denied dumping waste and claimed to have warned others.
“We haven’t dumped garbage there during my time in office. I didn’t think it was appropriate to do so. In fact, I even warned others, saying, ‘The waste might get dragged to the coast in case of a flood.’ Unfortunately, I was right,” he stated.
The disaster sparked a renewed debate on whether the flood was a natural disaster or the avoidable result of negligence.
While the Prime Ministry provided 10 million Turkish Liras to meet urgent needs, questions persist on whether the construction of controversial hydroelectric power plants is appropriate in an area with a fragile geology.
https://www.sondakika.com/haber/haber-floodwater-reveals-illegal-dumping-site-in-black-7635868/
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Illegal ship dumpings in the Black Sea according to the data of space imagery in September – October 2012/Investigation by ScanEX and BSNews
03.11.2012
https://www.blackseanews.net/en/read/48004/
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Death hangs over Black Sea: Polluted by the effluent of 16 countries, it is now the ‘most damaged sea in the world’
22 October 1994
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Ukraine: Ecological inspectors targeting waste water discharges from ships
03/09/2021
https://www.ukpandi.com/news-and-resources/articles/2021/ukraine-ecological-inspectors-targeting-waste-water-discharges-from-ships/
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Problems of ballast water control in Ukraine
March 9, 2018
https://safety4sea.com/problems-of-ballast-water-control-in-ukraine/
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Ukraine temporarily halts ballast water analysis in its ports
May 10, 2019
https://safety4sea.com/ukraine-temporarily-halts-ballast-water-analysis-in-its-ports/
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Ukraine analyzing of ballast water in its ports
May 10, 2019
https://shipsandports.com.ng/ukraine-analyzing-of-ballast-water-in-its-ports/
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They learned to eliminate chemical pollution in the Odesa CSP
September, 23rd, 2021
https://en.usm.media/they-learned-to-eliminate-chemical-pollution-in-the-odesa-csp/
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The problem of the Black Sea pollution in Odessa region of Ukraine
November 2021
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021E%26ES..915a2008S/abstract
____________________________
[Microbial cenosis of 1 of the brackish water reservoirs of the Odessa district as a result of continuous action of the pollutants]
1977
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/892466/
____________________________
Bio-desalination of brackish and seawater using halophytic algae
2019
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC7377241/
____________________________
[Effect of sewage water on sanitary conditions of the recreational zone of Odessa Bay]
1993
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8163223/
____________________________
[The count and distribution of saprophytic bacteria and bacteria of the E. coli group in the water of Odessa Bay and the adjacent waters]
1995
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8355634/
____________________________
[Sanitary and microbiological characteristics of surface waters of Vladivostok beaches]
2008
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19097423/
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Black Sea Pollution
26/04/2020
https://countercurrents.org/2020/04/black-sea-pollution/
The Black Sea is dying. Under the current bad environmental conditions, more than one hundred sixty million people in Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russian Federation, Romania and Turkey are exposed to danger.
The amount of marine litter in the Black Sea is twice as high as in the Mediterranean Sea. The concentration of some toxins exceed their threshold value, according to results of the Joint Black Sea Surveys presented by the EU/UNDP-funded project “Improving Environmental Monitoring in the Black Sea: Selected Measures” (EMBLAS-Plus), and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine at a press conference in Odesa on July 29, 2019. The surveys were held in 2017 – 2019 in the coastal waters of Georgia, Ukraine and Russia and in the open sea.
The litter flowing into the Black Sea, studied by EMBLAS, mainly comes from four major rivers: the Danube (which flows through several European countries, including the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine in the Eastern Neighbourhood region), the Dniester (Moldova and Ukraine), the Don (Russia), and finally the Rioni, which flows through Georgia.
The research by EMBLAS has it that eight three percent of marine litter found in the Black Sea is plastic namely bottles, packaging and bags. Large rivers such as Danube and Dniester bring to the sea from six to fifty items of litter per hour. Micro plastics have also been found in the sediments of Black Sea both in its shelf parts and in the depths of more than 2,000 m.
Some priority hazardous chemical substances are also present, which makes it the most polluted sea in the world. These substances include benzo(a)pyrene, several pesticides, insecticides, mercury and flame retardants in fish. In addition to that, over one hundred twenty four chemicals, dangerous for the sea ecosystem, and human health, were identified including persistent organic pollutants, metals, pesticides, biocides, pharmaceuticals, flame retardants, industrial pollutants and personal care products. These substances had not been monitored earlier, and they are now proposed to be included for regular monitoring.
In history, it was in the 1970s and 1980s, when the Black Sea ecosystem suddenly collapsed. There were vast amounts of dead plants, and animals that covered the beaches of Romania, and western Ukraine, and between 1973 and 1990, losses were estimated as sixty million tons of bottom animals, including five million tons of fish.
The most significant factor attributing to Black Sea’s pollution has been the massive over-fertilisation of the sea, by compounds of nitrogen and phosphorus, largely as a result of agricultural, domestic and industrial sources. This over-fertilisation produces eutrophication, which has changed the structure of the Black Sea ecosystem.
Eutrophication is the over-enrichment of water bodies with organic matter that results in lack of oxygen, and severe reductions in water quality, and in fish and other animal populations. The effects of eutrophication were felt across the entire Black Sea.
As a process, the nitrogen and phosphorus compounds (nutrients) enter the Black Sea from sources from around seventeen countries in its drainage basin, particularly through rivers. It is estimated that the six Black Sea countries contribute about seventy percent of the total amount of the substances flowing to the Black Sea, as waste from human activities. Some of this amount and almost all of the remaining thirty percent (from the other eleven non-coastal countries) enter the Sea through the Danube River.
By the time the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, water quality of Black Sea had dwindled from the inflow of industrial strength agricultural fertilisers. At that time, scientists warned aloud that Black Sea might become the first major waterway devoid of life. It was this point that the newly empowered ex-Soviet states came up with an action. They formed the Black Sea Commission (BSC), whose secretariat sits in Istanbul, and drew up the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution, which came into force in 1994.
The system is more complicated than most, making the protection of Black Sea a challenge. Dense, salty waters flowing in from the Bosporus Strait sink to the bottom, while fresh river water that drains from five major rivers floats overtop. This means that the fertiliser runoff concentrates on the sea surface, stimulating the rapid progress of microscopic algae, and suffocation of marine creatures.
This lack of mixing also leaves nearly ninety percent of the Black Sea naturally devoid of oxygen, limiting the range of species that thrive in the waters. And to complicate matters, as bacteria feed themselves on organics, such as plants or dead creatures, in this oxygen-less environment, they naturally produce hydrogen sulfide (H2S). As the world’s largest reserve of H2S, maritime authorities carefully monitor the gas, every now and then.
For years, the Black Sea’s agony was hostage to Cold War suspicions. But, what seemingly separates these water woes from most previous crises is the apparent inability of officials in Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Georgia, the six-shoreline countries, to set aside their political differences, to work for the sea’s survival. Relations have soured to such a point that a number of governments have broken off some diplomatic relations. Whatever good had existed to tackle environmental degradation has long since melted into thin air.
According to an article by Hugh Pope in The Independent: ‘Dams have cut the flow of main rivers by up to a half. The level of lifeless, sunless water has now risen up to one hundred twenty metres below the surface, suffocating the once fertile north-western coastal shelf. The marine food chain, already under severe pressure from overfishing, was hit by a parallel invasion of jellyfish. Oyster beds were the first resource to disappear, attacked by an invading Japanese sea snail in the 1940s. Nearly thirty kinds of marketable fish have dwindled to half a dozen. Tourist beaches have to be closed when they turn brown and smelly. And the sea grass fields in the north-western coastal shelf have shrunk to a fifty- square kilometre patch, five per cent of their former extent.’
During the war in 2014, when Moscow threw its support behind separatists in the Donbass area of Eastern Ukraine, and then annexed the Crimean peninsula, there were unique complications for the sea. No longer in control of large swathes of their waters, the Ukrainian environmental authorities ascertained that they were unable to keep a watch on the waste that seeped from stretches of their coastline. Increased Russian and naval exercises have had also led to the closure of some parts of the Sea to civilian traffic, preventing environmental groups from conducting surveys.
In the sea, the Dolphins now are already endangered. The monk seal has already disappeared from Black Sea waters over the past decade, after a series of tourist resorts laid claim to its last cliff-side habitats in Bulgaria. Stocks of anchovies, a favored delicacy from coast to coast, are seemingly on their last legs. So low are most other fish stocks that Romanian conservationists say their country’s fishing fleet has largely switched to hunting sea snails, and other critters, in order to stay economically relevant. With the result, victimised by overfishing, six out of the seven sturgeon species are now seriously endangered.
To counter environmental degradation, some policy planning has also been adopted, in the past, most notably the GEF Strategic Partnership on Black Sea and Danube Basin. The partnership was a multilateral structure established with the cooperation of the World Bank (WB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and other financiers, as well as basin countries to address the degradation of the Black Sea and Danube Basin region.
The GEF Strategic Partnership, launched in 2001, was the first major initial funding of ninety five million US dollars in GEF grants to tackle the pollution. It was an initiative coordinated among UN agencies, and the World Bank in support of a country-driven program that addresses the key concern of this basin: pollution from nutrients and subsequent eutrophication that is the cause of many environmental and water use problems.
The GEF Investment Fund for Nutrient Reductions, managed by the World Bank, was another initiative established to catalyze investments, and accelerate action by other stakeholders interested in the recovery of the Black Sea. It aimed to leverage $210 million to complement $70 million GEF grant funds for nutrient reduction investments in the agriculture, and municipal and industrial wastewater treatment sectors, and for wetland restoration.
Quite lately in October 2019, a team of seventeen marine scientists from four countries, including Turkey, have joined forces in a new project aiming at evaluating the degree of pollution in the Black Sea Scientists on board the research vessel “Mare Nigrum”. They carried out sampling of water, sediments and marine organisms to assess the health of the sea, which marks the majority of Turkey’s northern border. The project, “Assessing the vulnerability of the Black Sea marine ecosystem to human pressures” (ANEMONE), was launched with the Black Sea Joint Scientific Cruise. The aim of the Marine scientists is to study this data, through laboratory work, including processing of samples, data analysis and assessment. The results will serve to map the bottom habitats, and to assess the biodiversity, and integrity of the seabed, under the requirements of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The results will be shared, collated and published as the report on the “Status of the Environment of the Western Black Sea.”
The project, ‘Waste Free Rivers for Clean Black Sea’, will also be implemented throughout the period 2018-2020, using €1,008,497 in financial aid, allocated by the European Union, under the Joint Operational Programme (JOP) Black Sea Basin 2014-2020. It involves three countries, and facilitates cross-border cooperation between Georgia, Moldova, and Romania, for the introduction of modern waste management practices, in order to help enhance the quality of the environment, and contribute to reducing river, and marine litter in the Black Sea Basin countries.
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The Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution
http://www.blacksea-commission.org/
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Black Sea
http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CB%5CL%5CBlackSea.htm
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Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution
2019
http://www.blacksea-commission.org/_convention-fulltext.asp
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Black Sea Pollution Could Be Harnessed As Renewable Future Energy Source
March 17, 2009
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090316075849.htm
Summary:
The Black Sea harbors vast quantities of hydrogen sulfide, the toxic gas associated with the smell of rotten eggs. This noxious gas could be used as a renewable source of hydrogen gas to fuel a future carbon-free economy, according to researchers.
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BLACK SEA POLLUTION AND THE PROTECTION AGAINST THIS POLLUTION
Apr. 15, 2013
https://www.slideshare.net/meltemlaleunal/black-sea-pollution-and-the-protection-against-this-pollution
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CLASSIFYING THE SOURCES OF POLLUTION OF TRANSCARPATHIAN’S TERRITORY FOR THE OIL WELL’S CONSTRUCTION
http://www.geologicacarpathica.com/data/files/files/special%20issue/K/Karabyn.pdf
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Odessa Declaration: Ministerial Declaration on the Protection of the Black Sea
Odessa, 7 April 1993
http://www.blacksea-commission.org/_od-odessa1993.asp
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Larvae of Sand Smelts (Atherina hepsetus L.) as a Bioindicator of Pollution in the Black Sea Coastal Waters
Oct 18, 2004
https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/springer-journals/larvae-of-sand-smelts-atherina-hepsetus-l-as-a-bioindicator-of-XtD0QzH0po
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Beach Litter Pollution in Sinop Sarikum Lagoon Coast of the Southern Black Sea
2019
https://www.trjfas.org/uploads/pdf_1432.pdf
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Toxic metals biomonitoring based on prey-predator interactions and environmental forensics techniques: A study at the Romanian-Ukraine cross border of the Black Sea
2017
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X17306446
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Romania to face up to illegal waste trafficking problem
August 30, 2021
https://www.ban.org/news/2021/9/7/romania-to-face-up-to-illegal-waste-trafficking-problem
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87 ships fined 5.7 million liras for illegal dumping in Turkey’s northern seas
March 11 2019
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/87-ships-fined-5-7-million-liras-for-illegal-dumping-in-turkeys-northern-seas-141803
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Land-Based Pollution on the Black Sea along the Turkish Shoreline
2018
https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/landbased-pollution-on-the-black-sea-along-the-turkish-shoreline-2155-9910-1000248-99637.html
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An overview of the Black Sea Pollution in Turkey
May 2018
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325446799_An_overview_of_the_Black_Sea_Pollution_in_Turkey
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Turkey: Black Sea Pollution Depletes Fishing Stocks
November 09, 1998
https://www.rferl.org/a/1089858.html
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Assessment of pollution in the west black sea coast of Turkey using biomarker responses in fish
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00563067/document
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Anionic detergent LAS pollution and discharged amount from Turkish coasts to the Black Sea during 2004-2007
2010
https://www.academia.edu/4872741/Anionic_detergent_LAS_pollution_and_discharged_amount_from_Turkish_coasts_to_the_Black_Sea_during_2004_2007
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Sea snot on the Marmara Sea, Turkey. Screenshot from YouTube video
October 10, 2021
The toxic sea snot in Marmara Sea, Turkey has reappeared with experts and fishermen worrying of seafood contamination.
It was June when the surface of Marmara Sea was completely covered by the toxic mucus-like substance, generating concern among scientists trying to explain the strange phenomenon.
Citizens in Turkey are afraid that the fish going to end up on their plate might be contaminated by the sea snot, while fishermen have problems in both, fishing and selling the fish.
Fish sales have dropped dramatically as Turkish citizens are worried that the fish they could buy would be dangerous.
At the same time, fishermen report that their nets become entangled in the sea snot and break as they pull them.
Fishermen in Greece are worried that the wind may carry the sea snot to Greek shores.
Scientists are worried and point out that the cause of the problem has not been addressed yet. They even speculate that the problem in the area may continue for the next three years.
Marine mucilage
Sea snot, or marine mucilage, or sea saliva is a collection of organic matter that covers the sea surface as a blanket and suffocates marine life below.
The gelatinous substance is not harmful itself, but can attract viruses and bacteria, including the dangerous E. coli.
Sea snot is a product of pollution, as the mass of microorganisms created is enriched by components of excessive nutrients from untreated waste discharged into the sea.
Scientists argue that the sea snot will become a persistent problem in the region if meaningful measures to tackle pollution are taken and water purification systems are used.
In June, a research team from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, has set out on a vessel to examine the marine mucilage phenomenon in the Marmara Sea first hand.
The team found that the extent of the marine mucilage problem is enormous.
Aerial photos made with a drone shows #Marmara sea covered by sea snot in Istanbul, Turkey, 04 June 2021.
In June, a research team from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, has set out on a vessel to examine the marine mucilage phenomenon in the Marmara Sea first hand.
The team found that the extent of the marine mucilage problem is enormous.
Fear that the sea snot might move to Greece
In June, when the sea snot covered the Marmara Sea, there was fear among Greek fishermen that the mucus-like substance will reach Greek shores.
Indeed, fishermen in Kavala noticed the slimy layer of sea snot floating off the coast of the city, marine biologist Kalliopi Pagkou told Greek Reporter at the time.
The marine biologist said that the phenomenon, which has been observed before in the seas of northern Greece, was indeed part of the slime from the Marmara Sea, which connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea.
The marine mucilage had floated through the straits into the north Aegean, damaging not only fishing nets but fish stocks as well.
The sludge collects in their nets, making them so heavy they often break. The ones that do make it back onto ships are often empty, as the strings are coated — making them visible to the fish.https://greekreporter.com/2021/10/10/sea-snot/
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Turkey’s ‘sea snot’ is part of a growing environmental threat
08.06.2021
The Marmara Sea has been swamped by a thick, slimy blanket of sludge which thrives on pollution and warm temperatures. Marine life and aquatic industries around the world are facing similar organic threats.
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Phthalates pollution in algae of Turkish coast
2014
Abstract
In this work phthalates pollution in red, brown and green algae in the Black Sea, Istanbul Starait and Çanakkale Strait were investigated. The detected phthalate derivatives were DEP, DIBP, DBP and DEHP. Very toxic phthalate DEHP was found only in the Istanbul Strait. Phthalates pollution of algae depends on the pollution of sea water.
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The Toxic Valley
The story of the most heavily industrialised area of Turkey
For the past six months, The Black Sea has investigated the public health crisis in Kocaeli, the most heavily industrialised region in Turkey.
One small town, Dilovası, home to around 45,000 residents, bears the most serious consequences of three decades of unbridled industrial development, with widespread health problems among the locals, filthy air, soil, and waters, caused by uncontrolled pollution.
We found that the Kocaeli region was home to more than 2000 companies, with around 15 percent of these having some foreign ownership, and most from the EU.
The Turkish state knows the extent of the locals’ misery. Yet it not only ignores the scientific evidence, it actively encourages new polluting businesses to the area.
https://theblacksea.eu/stories/the-toxic-valley-project/
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Heavy metal pollution in the Black Sea shore and offshore of Turkey
13 September 2006
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00254-006-0480-1
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Reducing the pollution of the Black Sea in rural Georgia
April 4, 2016
https://www.wecf.org/reducing-the-pollution-of-the-black-sea-in-rural-georgia/
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Subject: Environmental pollution from the River Tisza to the Black Sea
3 May 2021
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/P-9-2021-002387_EN.html
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Pollution in River Sakarya ‘rising at alarming rate’
April 11 2019
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/pollution-in-river-sakarya-rising-at-alarming-rate-142588
The pollution in River Sakarya, the third longest river in Turkey, is rising at an alarming rate, according to experts, with an official from the Sakarya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SATSO) urging President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to step in.
“There are many causes of the pollution, it is very correct to say that the pollution of such a big and long river stems from one reason. This is why the cleaning of this river is a national matter and it is not possible to have a single institution tackling it. The matter should be handled as a national issue,” said the head of the environment and urbanization commission of SATSO.
“This issue can be tackled under the patronage of our president. Or I think that the issue can be tackled as a joint work of other state institutions,” Mehmet Tuncer Açan said.
The River Sakarya flows through nine provinces in Turkey. The source of the 824-km-long river is the Bayat Yaylası (Bayat Plateau) which is located northeast of the Aegean province of Afyon. Joined by the Porsuk Çayı (Porsuk Creek) close by the town of Polatlı, the river runs through the Adapazarı Ovası (Adapazarı Plains) before reaching the Black Sea.
Açan said that there are four levels of pollution with regards to rivers, and the pollution in River Sakarya is at its highest level, getting worse over the years.
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Georgian NGOs express concern over oil spill off Russia’s Black Sea coast
August 19th, 2021
https://dfwatch.net/georgian-ngos-express-concern-over-oil-spill-off-russias-black-sea-coast-54825
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Preliminary investigation of lower Danube pollution caused by potentially toxic metals
2020 Oct 1
Abstract
The current study aims to assess the pollution status of the European river-sea system lower Danube River-Danube Delta-North West Black Sea, through an integrated analysis of metal concentrations in water, sediments and fish community. The Danube flows through numerous industrial cities and receives a significant amount of pollutants due to the reception of urban and industrial emissaries, as well as agricultural land runoff. Samples of water, sediments and fish (10 species) were collected from 7 representative sites along Danube River, Danube Delta and Black Sea shore. For the analysed fish species, potentially toxic and essential elements (Pb, Cd, As, Cu, Fe, Zn, Mg, Ca, Na, K) from muscle and liver samples were measured and discussed. Measurement of elements and other environmental quality parameters were determined for water and sediments. The Black Sea area, represented by S6 and S7, received sediments from Danube with the lowest concentrations of Cd (0.05 ± 0.01 μg g-1, respectively 0.01 ± 0.001 μg g-1), Pb (3 ± 0.03 μg g-1, respectively 2 ± 0.03 μg g-1), As (2 ± 0.02 μg g-1, respectively 1.4 ± 0.3 μg g-1), Ni (8.9 ± 0.1 μg g-1, respectively 5.2 ± 0.2 μg g-1), Cr (8 ± 0.7 μg g-1, respectively 5 ± 0.2 μg g-1), Cu (3 ± 0.1 μg g-1, respectively 2 ± 0.04 μg g-1), Fe(6 ± 0.3 μg g-1, respectively 3 ± 0.1 μg g-1) and Zn (0.03 ± 0.003 μg g-1, respectively 0.017 ± 0.001 μg g-1). These results suggest that the Danube Delta system plays an important role in filtering the pollutants. Based on the biota and water analysis, there was no correlation observed between Cd, respectively Pb concentration in the environment and fish body (Person Coef. = -0.02 in muscle tissue and -0.01 in liver tissue, respectively Pearson Coeff. = -0.06 in muscle tissue and 0.1 in liver tissue). Cadmium remained an active element in the pollution of the Danube area (S1 and S2), with high concentration in the water matrix (0.14 ± 0.02 μg L-1, respectively 0.05 ± 0.01 μg L-1) and fish muscle (0.15 ± 0.03 μg g-1f.w. in C. carpio – S2). This fact was confirmed by several other studies.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33032219/
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Russia Faces Major Oil Spill Disaster
November 12, 2007
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-faces-major-oil-spill-disaster/
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The Black Sea, a Dead Sea?
Nov 16, 2007
New oil spill adds to a devastated environment
The Black Sea is already considered one of the most polluted seas in the world. In the last 40 years it turned into a sort of depository for half of Europe, a place for depositing huge amounts of phosphorus compounds, mercury, DDT, oil and other toxic wastes coming from the 160 million people inhabiting its shores.
The contamination has already had severe environmental effects: from the 26 species of fish captured in the ’60s in the Black Sea, today only 5 species can be exploited. The dolphin population, once healthy and strong, numbering 1,000,000 individuals has plummeted rapidly to 200,000. Many of the remaining dolphins are infested with porcine pest due to pig farms draining the wastes in Danube.
The monk seal of the Black Sea is already extinct.
The new oil spill due to the break in half of an oil tanker during a storm in the Kerch Strait that connects the Black and Azov seas has killed over 30,000 birds. Volganeft-139 spilled about 2,000 tons (560,000 gallons) of fuel oil into the water and several other ships, transporting toxic chemicals, sunk during the area’s worst storms for 30 years. Hundreds of soldiers still clean up the oil spill, removing heavy clumps of seaweed and sand caked with oil.
The cleaning operations could last 40 to 45 days, but the operations are hampered by the bad weather and the oil spill is heading towards the Azov Sea, rather than Black Sea.
Environmentalists believe that it will take five years for nature to recover. Thousands of birds were trapped in the oil spill for over three days, and with their plumage affected by oil, they froze due to the cold rain. Local hunters saved some of them.
As hundreds of kilometers on the coasts of the Azov Sea are affected by oil pollution, local fishermen have lost their jobs. Oil levels in the area are over 50 times above the maximum permitted levels in sea water. By now 1.700 tons of the leaked oil have been recovered.
https://news.softpedia.com/news/Black-Sea-a-Dead-Sea-71030.shtml
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Crude estimates Russian scientists say Black Sea oil spill is 400 times larger than pipeline consortium reported
August 12, 2021
An oil spill off Russia’s Black Sea coast has contaminated an area at least 400 times bigger than initially estimated, scientists say. The spill took place on Saturday, August 7, at a Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) oil terminal near the port city of Novorossiysk. The CPC, which pumps in oil from Kazakhstan, addressed the spill two days later, claiming that an equipment breakdown caused 12 cubic meters of oil (12,000 liters) to spread over 200 square meters (2,153 square feet). Though the consortium claimed that the situation was “normalized” as of August 8, Russian scientists later reported that on that same day, the oil spill covered an area of 80 square kilometers (31 miles). Russia’s natural resources regulator is currently working at the site of the accident to establish just how much oil spilled into the sea. Russian investigators also opened a felony case for environmental damage…
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/08/12/crude-estimates
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Black Sea shipping ports at ‘high risk’ due to Russia-Ukraine tensions: AEI fellow
February 18, 2022
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/video/black-sea-shipping-ports-high-205226562.html
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Toxic Impact of Oil Pollution on Fish Organism in Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems (a Review)
2020
https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/38cb2223012b73f2,688968ed14e2ce9e,592dae7b39f5b1e3.html
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Pollution Science 101 – Ukraine – Part 1
Pollution Science 101 – Ukraine – Part 2
Pollution Science 101 – Ukraine – Part 3
Pollution Science 101 – Ukraine – Part 4
Pollution Science 101- Ukraine – Part 5
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Pollution Science 101 
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