The destruction of the Ukrainian dam on June 6, 2023, near the Russian-occupied southern village of Kakhovka has far-reaching consequences for the region, the extent of which cannot yet be assessed. The dam is part of a series of six dams along the Dnieper River and the last before opening into the Black Sea. The dam produced electricity, cooled the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, and provided water for local people.

The destruction caused the floods to reach the city of Kherson, which is located on the delta of the Dnieper River and about 100 kilometers away from the destroyed infrastructure. A total of 24 localities have been affected by the floods. So far, about 3000 people could be evacuated on both sides of the front. Currently, it is roughly estimated that on the right bank of the river, which is controlled by Ukraine, 40,000 people are affected by the floods, while in the Russian-occupied territories on the other side 25,000.

The floods have already caused great damage to the population, infrastructure, nature and animals. The potential consequences from the destruction of the dam will continue to increase. Dropping the water level in the Kakhovksa reservoir to a certain level may mean water shortages for 200,000 people. The laying out of mines along the river may mean that they will now be newly washed into places not expected. Fecal matter or chemicals from factories entering the water can cause epidemics or diseases. Oil was stored in the dam’s power plant, which has now also entered the water, and many fishes have already died from the contaminated water. In addition, habitats of animals such as birds are destroyed. The consequences of the dam burst are therefore manifold, extensive and will unfortunately shape the region for a long time.

While the EU and European countries have already pledged support worth 170 million, about 800 rescuers inside Ukraine and volunteers are providing assistance on the ground. Green Cross Switzerland has been active in Ukraine since 2022 with pragmatic relief actions for the population. In addition to providing water treatment systems to those affected, e.g. in Kherson or Mikolayev, and other assistance, we have supported rescuers of the State Service for Emergency Situations after floods during the spring in the north of Ukraine with a boat engine. Green Cross Switzerland is currently reviewing the possibilities for further assistance to the population affected by the floods in the region around the destroyed reservoir.

The 26.04.2023 marks the 37th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. At 01:23 on April 26, 1986, radioactive material was released in unit 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant as a result of a reactor accident. The released material reached Western Europe, but contaminated the surrounding regions the most. To this day, people and the environment in the areas of present-day Belarus, Russia and Ukraine suffer from the consequences of this disaster. In addition to the negative health effects caused by the released radioactivity, the reactor accident also led to social and economic neglect in the regions.

As early as the 1990s, Green Cross Switzerland began to implement aid projects for those affected by these man-made disasters in the three heavily radioactively contaminated countries. For this purpose, the SOCMED program (Social and Medical Care and Education) was established, which offers support on a medical, psychological and social level and focuses on “helping people to help themselves”. For example, therapy camps were organized for children and young people, and medical examinations were carried out by the Green Cross Bus in remote villages.

These assistance services could be guaranteed until 2022, but were severely restricted or terminated for the time being due to the war in Ukraine. In the country of the nuclear disaster, no projects can be implemented in the Chernobyl region at the moment due to the war. Nevertheless, Green Cross Switzerland provided urgently needed humanitarian aid to the population there at the beginning of the war, for example by delivering medicine or food. In addition, preparations are again underway in Belarus for Social Gardening, which will be carried out again in 2023. This project aims to make the diet of children from precarious backgrounds more varied, nutritious and healthy by providing fresh vegetables and fruit from social gardens.

The war in Ukraine also led to a reactivation of what happened in Chernobyl. The occupation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant from February 24 to March 31 by the Russian army continues to show the dangers to people and the environment posed by the nuclear power plant. Green Cross Switzerland takes the day of the nuclear disaster as an opportunity to remember the victims and those affected by the reactor accident and the war.