Remote sensing as a key tool for assessing war-induced damage to soil cover in Ukraine (the case study of Kyinska territorial hromada)

Abstract

The war is damaging one of Ukraine’s main assets its soil resources. Soil takes the brunt of military operations, suffers the most contamination and, as an inert ecosystem com- ponent, can bear the consequences of war for a long time. Thus, the assessment of the degree of soil disturbance and contamination enables us to estimate the consequences of the ecocide carried out by the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine. The article presents preliminary research on the impact of the war on the soil cover of arable land in the Kyinska territorial hromada (Chernihiv region), where warfare lasted only a month, but during this short time, they caused irreparable damage to the environment. The study was conducted based on the analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery by Maxar. 4914 craters were identified in the Kyinska hromada, including 2912 craters within arable land, ranging in diameter from 0.5 to 13.8 m. According to the morphometric parameters of the craters, the probable caliber of the ammunition and the volume of soil displaced were estimated, which is 3136 m3. It is proposed to distinguish bombturbation and contamination zones aroundthe craters, which differ in the degree and nature of their impact on the soil. In the bombturbation zone, the soil was redeposited, ejected, displaced, compacted, deformed, and heavily contaminated, whereas in the contamination zone, the soil was mostly physically undisturbed, however, slightly contaminated by explosives, shells, and bomb fragments. The estimated area of both zones was determined to be 44.3 hectares for the bombturbation zone and 386.9 hectares for the contamination zone. Areas of possible soil compaction and deformation due to the maneuvers of heavy military vehicles were identified. Moreover, the issue of the high risk of soil contamination with heavy metals as a result of shells and bombs exploding was considered. The contamination is apparently limited to the contamination zone. Over time, vertical and horizontal migration of heavy metals can lead to secondary risk of contamination with heavy metals. Furthermore, geomorphological hazards can occur on the slopes and at the bottom of craters, leading to engineering complications of the territory, unfavorable physical and chemical processes in the soil, and an expansion of the contamination zone. In accordance with the Methodology set out in the Order of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine No. 167 dated 04.04.2022, the amount of damage from soil contamination of arable land in the Kyinska territorial hromada was calculated at 192.2 million UAH.