GEOGRAPHICAL ASPECTS OF POLLUTION OF THE TERRITORY OF UKRAINE OF EXPLOSIVE OBJECTS
Authors: Rudakevych Ivan 
Published: December 2023

The article describes the geographical aspects of the pollution of the territory of Ukraine of explosive objects as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian war. With the beginning of hostilities, Ukrainian lands became the most mined in the world. The problem of pollution of the territory of Ukraine with explosive objects has not been sufficiently studied by Ukrainian and foreign scientists. One of the reliable sources of information are the reports of various international organizations on this issue, for example, the World Wildlife Fund. According to various estimates, the territory of Ukraine contaminated by explosive objects is from ten percent to a third of the entire area of the country. The special features of the Russian-Ukrainian war are the establishment of significant minefields and remote mining of territories. Pollution of the territory by explosive objects is divided into five types: at the sites of hostilities, as a result of bombings and shelling, ammunition storage sites, lands mined by both sides of the conflict (aggressors and defenders). Significant land areas are contaminated with unexploded shells and bombs, especially Russian ones. Ukrainian territories along the border with Belarus and Russia are also mostly mined in order to protect against a potential invasion from these countries. By September 2022, sappers have examined and removed dangerous objects from only 10% of the territory of Ukraine. On solid minefields in the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, the process of demining may last several years, provided the war ends. According to the military, more than 10% of the shells fired do not explode in the ground, creating an additional threat to soldiers and civilians. According to approximate estimates, more than 2 million such munitions lie in Ukrainian lands. In addition to projectiles, unexploded aerial bombs, rockets, grenades and other explosive objects were similarly left in the soil layer. On the territory of Ukraine, 18% of the total forested area has also been mined. This article provides examples of the scale of forest pollution by explosive objects on the example of Chernihiv region. In some forestry enterprises (Horodnyansky and Chernihiv forest enterprises) in 2022 more than 80% of their total area was mined. The area of land contaminated by explosive objects has increased significantly after the construction of defense lines by Russian troops and engineers in the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Foreign analysts tentatively named these multi-kilometer defensive fortifications the "Wagner Line" (Donetsk and Luhansk regions) and the "Surovikin Line" (Kherson, Zaporizhzhia regions). THESE linear defense structures combine systems of trenches, embankments, concrete fortifications, underground communications, minefields and other elements. The grouping of the regions of Ukraine according to the degree of their pollution by explosive objects is proposed. The first group includes Ukrainian regions in which active hostilities are taking place and which are mostly occupied by Russian troops. The second group includes regions from which the occupying forces retreated, leaving mined territories and facilities. The third group tentatively includes the border regions of Ukraine (near the border with Belarus and Moldova), which are mined by Ukrainian security forces due to the possible threat of an attack by Russian troops from these countries. The prospects for clearing the territory of Ukraine from explosive objects are the completion of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the training of the necessary number of sappers and the involvement of specialized equipment. More than 200,000 hectares of land have already been surveyed and demined since the beginning of the war. In Ukraine, the production of special equipment for demining territories has been established, and it is also provided by other countries in the form of assistance.
Keywords: explosive object, military, minefields, territory, Ukraine, war,