Environmental consequences of military operations in Ukraine on the example of soil research in the Kharkiv region

Abstract

The paper considers the main aspects of the impacts of military activities on soils, including changes in the hydrological regime, contamination, and destruction of soil structure. The article highlights the environmental hazards of military activities in Ukraine, based on the results of laboratory studies of the soil samples collected in the areas of Kharkiv Oblast that have been affected by military operations, namely areas with burnt-out military equipment or impact sites of aircraft bombs and artillery shelling. It was confirmed that military operations lead to significant chemical pollution of soils with heavy metals due to explosions, combustion of military equipment, and leaks of industrial chemicals. This pollution negatively affects the ecosystems by reducing soil fertility and disrupting plant growth. Moreover, toxic compounds accumulate in the food chains, posing risks to human health. The authors emphasize the need for further research and measures to clean up and restore the polluted soils so as to minimize the environmental consequences of the war. The article examines the contribution of hostilities in Ukraine in the period from 2022 to 2024 to the chemical contamination of the soils with heavy metals. The main sources of the pollution were analyzed, including the degradation of munitions, combustion of military equipment, and explosions of shells and missiles. The results of the laboratory studies conducted in Kharkiv Oblast showed that the contents of lead, copper, and zinc in the soils significantly exceeded the background levels and maximum permissible concentrations. In particular, the average lead content in the areas of hostilities was 2.8 times higher than the MPC. The concentration of zinc was three times higher than the background levels and 1.2-1.4 times higher than the MPC. The average content of copper was 1.45 MPC, exceeding the MPC in 7 out of 10 plots. The article highlights the negative impact of chemical pollution on biodiversity, plant and animal health, as well as risks to human health due to bioaccumulation and biomagnification of heavy metals in the food chain. The high coefficient of variation of heavy metal content in the soil samples indicates a significant unevenness of the pollution, which requires further research to develop effective measures for cleaning and restoring contaminated soils.