Russia–Ukraine Conflict Is Jeopardizing Some of the World’s Most Fertile Soil

Approximately one-third of the world’s richest soil is threatened by chemical pollution and landmine contamination that could permanently scar the region.

German farmers Tim Nandelstädt (C) and Torben Reelfs (R) inspect the field of their farm in Derzhiv, Stryi Raion, Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine on March 23, 2022. Tim Nandelstaedt/AFP via Getty Images

Bombs, landmines, and other explosive devices in Ukraine are killing some of the world’s most valuable soil, creating hazards, and releasing high levels of dangerous and pervasive pollution that experts warn could leave the region permanently damaged.

“The big problem right now is contamination; it’s landmines. It’s just one massive landmine,” Olena Lennon, adjunct professor and practitioner in residence at the University of New Haven’s Department of National Security, told The Epoch Times. “The more urgent question is who will fund and control the demining efforts in that area.”

She pointed to estimates that it could take more than 750 years to remove the explosive devices using traditional methods, and said researchers are working to develop high-tech artificial intelligence applications to identify unexploded munitions and hasten the clearing process.

A Mine Action Review report from 2024 upgraded the classification level of landmines in Ukraine from heavy to “massive.”

Both Ukraine and Russia are responsible for mining the entire region with explosives that include cluster munitions and anti-personnel devices, which U.S. President Joe Biden sent to Ukraine last year.

Beyond the danger of unexploded ordnance, land contamination is also a concern from the munitions, as studies have shown adverse long-term consequences on soil health, even after the war ends.

Millions of small farmers are impacted by heavy fighting on Ukraine’s Eastern border, and some are describing the effects of the conflict as complete and utter devastation for the country’s agricultural industry, with more than 20 percent of Ukraine’s arable land directly impacted.

Agricultural land in Ukraine contains about 30 percent of the world’s black soil—the nutrient-rich topsoil with high-quality composition that allows for superior water retention—and its fertility is the reason the nation is nicknamed the “breadbasket of Europe.”

“This is very attractive land, some of the most fertile,” Frederic Mousseau, policy director at the Oakland Institute—a social, economic, and environmental policy think tank—told The Epoch Times. “So, it makes Ukraine a very promising investment for those who want to create agricultural products and export them.”

Famous for its highly productive soil—known to locals as chernozem—Ukraine contains between 62 million and 74 million acres of high-quality arable land, accounting for about one-third of all such territory in Europe, according to World Bank data.

Formed over thousands of years, Ukraine’s prized soil includes a delicately balanced microbiome and nutritional profile that are threatened by the war.

Most of the black soil is in Eastern Ukraine, which is heavily impacted by the war with Russia, with maps showing landmines littering the area.

According to studies from Ukraine’s Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry Research, bombing and impacts from artillery shells disturb fertile topsoil by displacing soil layers and contributing to erosion.

Ukrainian mine experts scan for unexploded ordnance and landmines by the main road to Kherson, Ukraine, on Nov. 16, 2022. Murad Sezer/Reuters

Contamination from exploded and unexploded ordnance includes toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, and mercury, among others. All of which create potential health concerns and reduce plantable space.

“The well-being of the soil translates directly into the well-being of the people,” Lennon said.

The years-long conflict with Russia is threatening the fecundity of the region, and some are expressing concern that the destruction is so widespread, recovery will be challenging and lengthy, with the repatriation of farmers displaced by the fighting a daunting prospect.

“With all the war-induced damage ... the levels of contamination are beyond repair in some ways,” Lennon said. “It’s going to be very difficult because even if farmers are willing to return, they’re not going to be able to operate in the same mode.”

Finding a solution that restores the region to its pre-war state is challenging, she said.

“Whoever gets to control it, the problem is that it doesn’t really matter, because you can’t really throw money at the problem. There are high-level political resolution aspects that are not in place yet, and even a peace agreement would not resolve it,“ Lennon said. ”I think even if they were to sign a cease-fire, it would not necessarily make those soils accessible, or productive, or profitable because of how deeply contaminated it is.”

Before the war began in 2022, Ukrainian farmers harvested approximately 80 million metric tons of grain annually. In recent years, the total has fallen by about 17 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Approximately 18 percent of Ukraine’s territory, amounting to approximately 46,000 square miles and including about 22 million acres of farmland, is now under Russian control, according to estimates from the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization.

Ukraine and Russia view agriculture as vital to their national security, with control of the black soil seen as a valuable geopolitical asset.

Russia is expanding its wheat production and trade, recently surpassing the U.S. and Canada as the world’s leading exporter—Ukraine ranks sixth—the Agriculture Department reports.