“Armed conflicts have contributed to environmental degradation for thousands of years” (Palczewska, 2022, p. 100). The war in Ukraine is no exception; the conflict already has an immense impact on the soil, water and air quality as well as the biodiversity of the largest European country. Wars have had from the outset an impact on the environment. The latter has also frequently been weaponised by warring parties. Accordingly, “from the time homo-sapiens first harnessed fire, the environment has served subsequent civilisations as an arsenal” (Travis, 2023, p. 157). Though it is not a new development, the environmental consequences of armed conflicts are higher nowadays. The introduction of new technologies in the armies has caused greater damage.

Since February 2022, the war has caused major environmental degradation in Ukraine. It is an inevitable consequence of the conflict. As we will see in this paper, the environment has also been actively used as a tactical and strategic tool of war. In the end, nature can be considered “the silent victim” of the conflict (Watts, 2023; Gardashuk, 2022). This directly impacts the population as the damage has repercussions on health, the economy and food security.