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UWEC Work Group
@uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
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Experts, environmentalists, journalists, and activists who have come together to share information about the environmental impacts of the war in Ukraine.
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UWEC Work Group @uwecworkgroup.bsky.social · Dec 8
1/ 🙏 Support UWEC with your donation!
uwecworkgroup.info/donate/

Against the backdrop of other important news, the #environmental consequences of the Russian #war seem to be taking a back seat. Yes, our era has seen a multitude of crises, but #Ukraine must remain a priority topic in the media.
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ ‼️ UWEC Work Group designated an “undesirable organization” in #Russia

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/uwec-work-gr...
UWEC Work Group designated an “undesirable organization” in Russia – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
This designation underscores the importance of UWEC’s work in identifying and analyzing the environmental consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Here, we explain what you need to know and recommend ...
uwecworkgroup.info
September 16, 2026 at 11:17 AM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
🪶 Wild Victims of War. Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

With this article, we begin a series on #wildlife that has fallen victim to Russia’s full-scale invasion of #Ukraine.

🔗 Read more: uwecworkgroup.info/wild-victims...
September 4, 2026 at 1:32 PM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
The June 2026 special issue of Baltic Worlds, titled “Russian civil society under repression: Adapting, but not surrendering” explores the transformation of Russian #environmental civil movements under war-time pressures.

🔗 UWEC reviews several analyses:
uwecworkgroup.info/a-review-rus...
A Review: “Russian civil society under repression” – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
Eugene Simonov UWEC Work Group has long aspired to explore the transformation of Russian environmental civil movements under war-time pressures. The June 2026 special issue of Baltic Worlds (Vol. XIX:...
uwecworkgroup.info
August 7, 2026 at 2:47 PM
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1/ ⚖️ Ten years of sea arbitration—limited gains for #Ukraine, a step forward for environmental law

🔗 Read more on the UWEC website:
uwecworkgroup.info/ten-years-of...
Ten years of sea arbitration—limited gains for Ukraine, a step forward for environmental law – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
Margo Moore and Eugene Simonov The 2026 arbitral ruling in the decade-long maritime dispute between Ukraine and Russia delivered a landmark, albeit mixed, outcome. While the Tribunal dismissed Ukraine...
uwecworkgroup.info
July 28, 2026 at 3:48 PM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ 💥 Moscow’s black skies send a message to the world: #oil must remain in the ground

🔗 UWEC publishes the opinion of Oleh Savytskyi, a strategic advisor at @razomwestand.bsky.social:
uwecworkgroup.info/moscows-blac...
Moscow’s black skies send a message to the world: oil must remain in the ground – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
By Oleh Savytskyi The “oil rain” that fell over Moscow after the partially self-inflicted blasts at the Gazprom Neft refinery is a disturbing image of what fossil fuel infrastructure means in wartime....
uwecworkgroup.info
July 22, 2026 at 3:19 PM
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1/ 🦟 Along with humanitarian aid, machinery, timber products, and personal belongings, uninvited "six-legged hitchhikers"—invasive insects—are making their way into #Ukraine.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/six-legged-s...
Six-legged stowaways: The dangerous insects hitching a ride to war-torn Ukraine – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
Stanislav Viter In an environmental context, war isn’t just about pollution caused by explosives or the destruction of infrastructure. The uncontrolled movement of people and goods facilitates the spr...
uwecworkgroup.info
July 9, 2026 at 3:07 PM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
Ukrainian and international institutions are calling for the inscription of the Dnipro River Great Meadow #VelykyLuh on the @unesco.bsky.social Tentative List of World Heritage Sites as a mixed cultural and natural site

🔗: uwecworkgroup.info/preserve-the...
Preserve the Great Meadow as a UNESCO World Heritage Site – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
Oleksiy Vasyliuk On the eve of the third anniversary of Russia’s destruction of the Kakhovka Hydropower Plant and its reservoir, Ukrainian and international institutions appealed to Ukraine’s Ministry...
uwecworkgroup.info
June 29, 2026 at 4:59 PM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ 😳 Paradoxically, the biggest #environmental risks of a war may arise not during the fighting, but in the post-war period.

How can we avoid the mistakes of other countries and ensure a truly sustainable recovery for #Ukraine?

🔗 Read here: uwecworkgroup.info/blind-restor...
Blind restoration: What lessons do other countries have for Ukraine’s green recovery? – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
Oleksiy Vasyliuk The issue of Ukraine’s postwar recovery has shadowed military events since the first months of Russia’s full-scale invasion. And the more destruction is inflicted, the greater in scal...
uwecworkgroup.info
June 15, 2026 at 2:27 PM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ 🌅 What's more important for #Ukraine's future: restoring the #Kakhovka Hydropower Plant or giving the #Dnipro River a chance to recover on its own?

🔗 Read more on the UWEC website:
uwecworkgroup.info/re-dam-or-to...
Re-dam or to restore the Dnipro: What are the goals of International Financial Institutions in the Dnipro River valley? – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
Oleksiy Vasyliuk and Eugene Simonov Throughout the years of full-scale war, the tactics chosen by the Russian army have focused on capturing or destroying the most powerful power generation facilities...
uwecworkgroup.info
June 8, 2026 at 10:41 AM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ 🫣 Is environmental health receding into the background?

New recovery assessments for #Ukraine reveal a concerning trend: after progress in 2023–2024, attention to nature is declining again.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/building-bac...
June 1, 2026 at 10:07 AM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
The Belgian media @lalibre.be spoke with UWEC co-founder Oleksiy Vasilyuk about seeking a balance between safe mine clearance, ecosystem protection, and future recovery of #Ukraine.

We've translated this material for you.

🔗: uwecworkgroup.info/soil-and-wat...
May 25, 2026 at 2:34 PM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ The #ESPOO Convention was a peacetime concept created to enable countries to assess the environmental risks of major projects in advance and prevent transboundary damage.

🤔 But what happens when war causes the damage?

🔗: uwecworkgroup.info/espoo-conven...
Espoo Convention: Does cross-border environmental impact assessment work in war zones? – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
Polina Tsybulska In today’s world, where armed conflicts are becoming increasingly frequent, the environmental consequences of war extend beyond national borders, threatening not only local ecosystems...
uwecworkgroup.info
May 15, 2026 at 4:22 PM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ 🦐 How has Russia’s full-scale invasion of #Ukraine affected the spread of #invasive species in the Black Sea? Which alien species are most commonly found in the #Odesa region, particularly in the Black Sea?

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/underwater-m...
Underwater migrants: the invasive species upsetting ecosystems in Ukraine’s Black Sea waters – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
Maria Shevchuk How is Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine related to the spread of invasive species in the Black Sea, and who are the new arrivals? Do these “underwater migrants” pose a threat to ...
uwecworkgroup.info
May 6, 2026 at 4:00 PM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ 🧐 New wartime damage assessments show a shift from detailed analysis to rapid fund allocation. The latest #RDNA5 report is nearly three times shorter and has been turned into a financial planning tool rather than an in-depth assessment.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/building-bac...
Building Back Business as usual: Can the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment provide strategic planning support for green rebuilding of Ukraine? – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
Eugene Simonov and Oleksiy Vasyliuk In the wake of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, the World Bank, alongside the Government of Ukraine, the European Commission, and the United Nations, shift...
uwecworkgroup.info
May 1, 2026 at 2:35 PM
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1/ ☢️ It's been 40 years since the #Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster.

The topic of radiation remains a pressing issue.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/the-zone-and...
The Zone and the war: the new tragedy of Chornobyl – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
Alex Ovchinnikov 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster. Russia’s full-scale invasion has once again reminded us that radioactive contamination remains with us. And although the les...
uwecworkgroup.info
April 27, 2026 at 10:12 AM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/💥 On April 14, Russian forces launched 6 strikes on the Pechenizky Dam in #Kharkiv region.

The Pechenizky Reservoir supplies Kharkiv with water, and the dam is effectively a lifeline for evacuations from occupied territories.

🔗 About military risks of HPP:
uwecworkgroup.info/hydroelectri...
April 21, 2026 at 10:23 AM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ 💨 Russia’s invasion of #Ukraine has caused colossal damage to climate and nature. Over 4 years, CO2 emissions totaled 311M tons—nearly equivalent to France’s annual #emissions. Combat operations alone accounted for 114M tons, and fires for 70M.

🔗: uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...
April 17, 2026 at 11:56 AM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ 😡 In an occupied part of the #Zaporizhzhia region, #Russia announced the creation of the “Velykyi Luh” National Park, covering an area of 16,700 hectares.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...
April 14, 2026 at 10:51 AM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ 🐬🦭 According to @ceobs.org experts, in 2022, the mortality rate of #BlackSea marine mammals—dolphins and porpoises—more than doubled.

The cause: marine pollution (resulting from infrastructure damage) and the use of sonar.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...
April 9, 2026 at 10:45 AM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ 🤬 In the #Luhansk region, the Kreminski Forests National Park—the region’s only national park—has been virtually destroyed.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...
April 6, 2026 at 10:49 AM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ ☢️ #Zaporizhzhia NPP is being turned into a military base

Satellite analysis by #Greenpeace #Ukraine has shown that the occupiers are building bunkers, trenches, hangar fortifications and anti-drone nets, while the cooling pond has been divided by a dam.

🔗 : uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...
April 2, 2026 at 10:51 AM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ ⛔️ Mine clearance in #Ukraine is not only about human safety but also the key to the country's recovery. Today, humanitarian #demining is integrated with economic, agricultural, and environmental protection.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/how-new-tech...
How new technology is helping make Ukraine’s demining process greener – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
Yelizaveta Temchenko Russia’s war on Ukraine has resulted in large tracts of land being seriously polluted with explosive objects and damaged by military action. These dangerous areas require clearing...
uwecworkgroup.info
March 31, 2026 at 9:49 AM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ 🌬️ #War is making air in #Ukraine life-threatening. A new study has shown that following massive missile strikes, the concentration of toxic substances in the air instantly increases by 100–400%, and more locally—by up to 10,000%!

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/toxic-legacy...
March 24, 2026 at 1:29 PM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ 🫣 Europe's transition from #Russian #gas to liquefied natural gas from other countries was intended to be a temporary measure.

However, since 2022, 10 floating #LNG terminals have been built in #Europe and 7 existing ones have been expanded.

🔗 Read more: uwecworkgroup.info/lng-dependen...
LNG dependency poses a risk to Europe’s climate ambitions – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
Martin Vrba, Marta Abbá The end of Russian gas imports to Europe in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and their replacement with LNG was supposed to be a temporary emergency measure. Howe...
uwecworkgroup.info
March 20, 2026 at 11:55 AM
uwecworkgroup.bsky.social
1/ 🛡️ Environmental security is gradually being included in national defense policies. Countries that integrate environmental monitoring, satellite data and legal accountability mechanisms more rapidly gain a strategic advantage.

🔗 Read more:
uwecworkgroup.info/environmenta...
Environmental security: a key element of Ukraine’s national policy – Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group
Polina Tsybulska As war and climate change inflict damage on Ukraine’s environment, from polluting rivers and soils to destroying ecosystems, how could these threats be transformed into tools for resi...
uwecworkgroup.info
March 18, 2026 at 11:48 AM