Carolyn Beeler

​​​​​​​ In order to prevent Russian troops from advancing toward Kyiv, Ukrainian forces destroyed a dam on the Irpin River early on in the war. The flooding, as it turned out, created new wetland areas. Some conservationists hope to see the wetlands stay. Even residents whose cellars remain flooded are glad the water came and the Russian troops did not. 

Ukraine is now considered the most heavily mined country in the world. Nearly 1,000 civilians have been killed or injured by landmines and unexploded ordnances since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. And about a third of the country needs to be cleared of these explosives. Much of that land is farmland.

The Ukrainian government is doing an unusually thorough job of documenting environmental damages being caused by Russian attacks. Their primary goal, according to the Ministry of the Environment, is to eventually win compensation for these damages.

Nearly a year and a half into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, its impact has been felt most acutely in lost lives, flattened cities and destroyed infrastructure. But the environmental damage from combat has also contaminated Ukraine’s soil, water and air, at a cost the government is estimating to be $56 billion. This impact is likely to be one of the longest-lasting legacies of the war, persisting for decades after the fighting stops.

Russian attacks on Ukraine's power stations knocked out more than half of the country’s capacity to generate electricity last fall and winter. The widespread blackouts are over for now, but the new focus on energy security is raising prospects for a speedier transition to renewable energy as Ukraine rebuilds.

In the ongoing series, “The Big Fix," The World reports on what communities, individuals, governments and businesses are doing to tackle the climate crisis.

Sasha Shulyahina was 38-weeks pregnant when Russian forces invaded Ukraine in late February 2022. Motherhood and her faith continue to sustain her through a year of war.

The stress of war is a litmus test for relationships.

In parts of northern Ukraine, near the border with Belarus, Russian troops were firmly in control for several weeks early last year. One village occupied by Russian soldiers and later retaken by Ukrainian forces is in the middle of trying to rebuild.