Thread by @wammezz

📢Russia's targeting of energy infrastructure in #Ukraine is displacing millions of people, while also worsening conflict-pollution. Today we launch a new Environment & Conflict Alert, with support of @UNEP and @Cen4infoRes. A small 🧵1/x

paxforpeace.nl/what-we-do/pub…

Over the course of the last 10 months, we noted 213 reported incidents of strikes against thermal, hydro, nuclear and solar energy facilities in #Ukraine. We could verify 63 of those incidents with satellite images that observed damage to these facilities. 2/X

Throughout the country strikes against, and occupation of power plants severely impacted the lives and livelihoods of Ukrainian civilians, while also posing serious risks to their #environment from a range of pollutants or services depending on energy supplies. 3/x

In particular the situation at #Zaporizhzhya, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, became dire with a risk of a meltdown as energy infrastructure to cool the nuclear rods was damaged after being bombed, and it had to resort of emergency diesel generators 4/x

Other power plants are storing large amount of hazardous and toxic substances such as heavy fuel oil or PCBs, that could pose acute and long-term environmental health risks. For example, here we see a large oil spill at the Vuhleriksa TPP after intense Russian shelling 5/x

In Donbas, the extractive mining industry is depending on energy for its operations to pump out contaminated mine waters and prevent them from flooding. Absence of power supply could lead to severe regional pollution risks 6/x tearline.mil/public_page/en…

As winter has arrived, Ukrainian civilians face the cold and darkness by Russian aggression that specifically aims to impact their lives and the environment they depend on. Read our full @paxforpeace analysis and recommendations for green recovery here: paxforpeace.nl/what-we-do/pub…