Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has said that the total damage caused by the Russian aggression to the environment in Ukraine currently amounts to EUR 55.6 billion.

"According to the Environmental Protection Ministry of Ukraine, the total environmental damage caused by the Russian aggression today amounts to more than UAH 2 trillion, or EUR 55.6 billion... Half of these losses are due to air pollution from forest fires, missile attacks, and burning of petroleum products. Pollution of land – more than UAH 980 billion, water reservoirs – UAH 60 billion," the press service of the Ukrainian government said in a statement, citing Shmyhal.

According to the prime minister, the damage caused by Russia's terrorist attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam exceeds UAH 146 billion.

"The irrigation systems of farmland, where around 2 million tonnes of grain were grown per year, were left without water. It is 70% of the grain exported by Ukraine to Africa in 2022," he said.

The head of government recalled that more than 174,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory are considered potentially mined, and more than 3 million hectares of forests are affected by the war.

"At the Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik, the International Register of War Losses was introduced, which also contains an environmental component. This is the first element of the compensation mechanism. In total, it will have three components: the register of losses, the commission for reviewing claims, and the compensation fund. It is important that the fund is replenished precisely from confiscated Russian assets," Shmyhal said.