Climate activist Greta Thunberg met with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskiy in Kyiv to discuss the impact of the Kakhovka dam disaster alongside members of the International Working Group on the Environmental Consequences of War on June 29.

Zelenskiy emphasised the environmental damage to Southern Ukraine following the mass flooding caused by the destruction of the dam. The crisis has devastated the agricultural sector and biodiversity in the region as well as killing civilians, particularly in the occupied territories, as they were not evacuated by Russia.

"It is important to propose a set of concrete measures to help Ukrainians from the temporarily occupied settlements. These are our people who must receive the necessary support in such a difficult moment," Zelenskiy said.

Members of the working group, which also includes former Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Parliament Heidi Hautala and former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, expressed solidarity and support for Ukraine.

"Russia's invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated the gravity of crimes against the environment throughout the war; in Ukrainian law, this is clearly ecocide. The issue of responsibility for these crimes must be addressed both at the national and international level," Hautala said.

Thunberg said she would engage with environmental NGOs on the main tasks of the group and spoke of the environmental damages caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion. The day before the meeting, she expressed frustration at the international community’s reaction to the explosion at the dam and said more awareness is needed.

"I don't think the world's reaction to this ecocide was sufficient. I don't think any reaction is enough at all. Because there are simply not enough words to describe these atrocities," Thunberg stated.

The full consequences of the Kakhovka dam crisis are still being assessed but the damage is monumental. Labelling the catastrophe a “terrorist act” by Moscow, Ukraine has called for a new round of sanctions targeting Russia’s missile and nuclear industries.

Kyiv estimates that the flooding will have an impact on 10,000 hectares of arable land on Kherson’s right bank, under Ukrainian control, and an even larger area on the left bank, under Russian occupation. Polluted water containing oil, chemicals and sewage has spread across the region.

Southern Ukraine’s agricultural sector has been severely affected, as 31 field irrigation systems in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions have been left with limited water supply. The worst affected region is Kherson, with 94% of its irrigation systems without a water source, followed by 74% in Zaporizhzhia and 30% in Dnipropetrovsk. The Ministry of Agriculture warns that the fields in the regions could turn to deserts by next year.

Last year Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine caused $35.3bn worth of damage to Ukraine’s environment. The State Environmental Inspectorate reported in December 2022 that 291mn square metres of Ukrainian land had been polluted and 8bn square metres had been littered, resulting in $12bn worth of damage to land resources.

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