Two national parks after Kakhovka HPP blowing up turning into desert

Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Ruslan Strilets said this on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

“Due to Russia’s terrorist attack on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, such national parks as Velykyi Luh and Kamianska Sich are gradually turning into a desert. The State Ecological Inspectorate has already calculated the estimated damage to these areas, and it is enormous. For the Velykyi Luh National Park, it is more than UAH 15 billion, and for Kamianska Sich, it is more than UAH 73 billion,” the minister said.

According to him, the land area in these parks is expected to almost double: in Velykyi Luh – by more than 7,000 ha, and in Kamianska Sich – by 5,500 ha.

Strilets emphasized that the world has no right to forgive this environmental terror to the aggressor country. After all, the armed aggression of the Russians creates global challenges for future generations.

“The recently flowering areas and fertile soils may turn into a desert. This will lead to higher temperatures and deepen the climate crisis. It will increase the risk of droughts and extreme weather events. The world must realize that by such actions, the terrorist country is not only destroying Ukraine. Everyone will feel the consequences. The aggressor is condemning entire continents to starvation. The lives of people in the Middle East and Asia depend on our supplies. And this is about 400 million people,” the Minister emphasized.

He emphasized that it will take decades to restore the affected areas to their natural state and reproduce flora and fauna. Specialists of the Ministry of Environment are already working on developing such programs and measures.

“Everyone is doing their part to bring Ukraine closer to victory,” the minister emphasized.

The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is celebrated annually on June 17.

As reported, on the night of June 6, the Russian military blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam, causing flooding of parts of Kherson and Mykolaiv regions and critical shallowing of the Kakhovka reservoir.