Toxic impacts of the war on Ukraine

Set against the human suffering and daily destruction that war brings, its impacts on the environment may seem secondary. But they are long-lasting; they threaten both the stability of natural ecosystems and human health; and overcoming their consequences can take many years. An action plan is needed to combat the environmental crimes against the territory of Ukraine but we can only estimate their impacts by mathematical simulation because the system of instrumental environmental monitoring has been destroyed. Here, we assess the most significant environmental impacts of this assault, and draw interim conclusions based on open-source data.