The total number of recorded cases for the whole period of the full-scale invasion is displayed in the top left corner of the interactive map. While the monitoring of potential environmental damage is an ongoing process, updating the map on the website requires time, thus the number of recorded cases is updated with a delay.

To view the number of cases of potential environmental damage distributed by the regions of Ukraine, use the switch to transfer to the second page of the map.

The city of Kyiv is marked gray because cases are not counted separately but in a general number in the Kyiv region.

The distribution of the categories is approximate and is created for easier use of the map and data set. At the moment Ecoaction records the cases of potential environmental damage in seven categories: “Livestock waste”, “Damage of industrial facilities”, “Damage to oil and gas facilities”, “Nuclear safety”, “Damage to energy facilities”, “Impacts on the marine ecosystems” and “Impacts on ecosystems”. In each of these categories, we record a specific type of cases, in particular:

• Livestock waste: damage to animal complexes that could lead to significant pollution, as well as facts of mass death of domestic animals.

• Damage of industrial facilities: shelling of factories and industrial enterprises; hits, explosions, and fires at chemical warehouses; cases of chemical compound leakage; fires at landfills; destruction of sewage treatment facilities, filtration stations; shutting down mines due to shelling of energy facilities that power them.

• Damage to oil and gas facilities: hitting and destroying gas stations, oil depots, fuel tanks, gas distribution stations, etc.

• Nuclear safety: occupation of the nuclear power plants, the Chornobyl Zones; actions of occupiers at the Zaporizhzhya NPP, which may lead to the leakage of hazardous substances from nuclear reactors, cooling systems, etc.; threats to any nuclear facilities; military actions at these facilities, mining, damage to power grids that supply NPPs; placement of explosive materials in reactors and nearby; detonation of ammunition on NPP territory; flyovers of cruise missiles over or near NPPs.

• Damage to energy facilities: hitting thermal power plants, combined heat and power plants, hydroelectric power plants, electrical substations, and shelling of industrial boiler houses.

• Impacts on the marine ecosystems: sinking of ships, planes, and ammunition in the sea; cases of marine area pollution due to attacks on ports or damage to coastal infrastructure; mining of marine areas, underwater explosions, and explosions in coastal zones; cases of mass death of aquatic organisms.

• Impacts on ecosystems: impact on objects of Ukraine’s Natural Reserve Fund; cases of destruction of biodiversity, rare species, mass damage to forest plantations, fires in ecosystems, illegal logging, etc; intentional arson and destruction of ecosystems by occupiers; fires caused by war actions or complications in extinguishing fires due to mining, destruction of equipment, occupation; cases of pollution due to damage to military equipment or its sinking in water bodies; destruction of dams.

Before the update of the methodology of recording the cases of potential environmental impact in 2024, we also used to record cases in the “other military actions” category, which would describe all the cases not suitable for other categories. As for now, we do not record cases in this category.

To view cases in a specific category, such as “Impacts on ecosystems,” click on the category name in the list on the right side next to the map. This will automatically display all data for that category: the total number of cases (top left corner), highlighted cases on the map, and emphasized regional breakdown in the right-side histograms.

To view details of a chosen case of potential environmental damage, you need to guide the cursor on the dot on the map, and then the details of what happened will be displayed automatically. This includes the information about the main details of the case, its place, date, and category.

To filter the recorded cases by the time they happened, choose the interval on the scale “Dates Range” at the top of the map. You may use sliders on the scale or the calendar. By default, the map displays all the recorded cases for the period of the full-scale invasion.

When a specific interval of time is chosen, the whole infographic updates: it displays the number of the cases recorded in a chosen interval, and the map as well as histograms distributing the cases by regions display only the cases that happened during a certain time.

On the interactive map, Ecoaction records different cases that vary by intensity and impact on the environment: from the damage of gas stations and fires to the horrendous events like destroying the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam. To demonstrate their distinction we introduced the concept of Impact Rank, which is displayed in numbers from 1 to 3, where:

• Rank 1 – Damage occurred to a hazardous object without direct environmental impact or there is a lack of information about the consequences of the russian attack: incidents at nuclear power plants that did not result in environmental harm, strikes on various objects where operations were not stopped, or no environmental damage was recorded, or when details about the consequences are not provided, etc.
• Rank 2 – Presence of minor and/or local environmental damage: strikes on various objects that led to fires; reports of military equipment flooding, leakage of non-toxic and non-radioactive substances from NPPs, localized fires in ecosystems, etc.
• Rank 3 – Presence of significant environmental damage with sufficient data to confirm it: strikes on various objects with massive destruction, fires, leakage of fuel and lubricants, the destruction of dams with significant impact, large-scale fires in ecosystems, destruction of sewage treatment facilities, sinking of the ships and planes with oil spills, mass death of living organisms, etc.

To filter the cases of potential environmental damage by impact rank, use the sliders on the scale “Impact Rank” at the top of the map. By default, the map displays all the cases recorded during the full-scale invasion.

Once a specific rank is chosen the infographic updates: the number of the cases in a chosen rank is displayed, the map and histograms distributing the cases by region show only the cases of the selected rank.

If ranges in both scales “Date Range” and “Impact Rank” are set, you will see the number of cases of potential environmental damage of a specific rank during a chosen interval of time. For example, by selecting a period from 1st January 2024 to 27th August 2024 and the 3rd impact rank you will be able to see:

• 21 recorded cases of the 3rd rank during this period.

• The map itself would display only the cases by the chosen parameters.

• The number of 3rd rank cases by region and category will be displayed to the right of the map.

• If you move the cursor on the specific case, its description will appear.

If you choose a category on a histogram on the right of the map, you will see additional information: the number of the recorded cases in the category, these cases would also be emphasized on the map.

By analyzing the map of potential cases of the environmental damage you can see:

• The total number of cases recorded during the full-scale invasion.

• The number of cases during a selected period of time, for example, the last year.

• The number of cases of a specific impact rank for the whole time of the full-scale invasion or a set interval of time.

• The number of cases in regions of Ukraine.

• The number of cases in different categories in regions of Ukraine.

• Place, date and the details of the specific case of the environmental damage.