The Impacts of Combat Operations on the Environmental Condition of Sunflower Cultivation, Oil Production, and Storage in Ukraine
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Introduction. Military operations have a devastating impact on the environment, causing severe damage to natural ecosystems, accelerating land degradation, and contributing to biodiversity loss.Problem Statement. The contamination of agricultural land and industrial facilities involved in sunflower cultivation, storage, and processing has become a critical issue. This challenge is associated with the need to ensure the production of environmentally safe raw materials and products for both technical applications and the food industry. Purpose. This study aims to analyze the environmental consequences of contamination affecting crop productionareas and industrial facilities of the oil and fat sector, as well as to examine the stratification of oilseed raw materialquality, particularly in sunflower oil stored in tanks damaged by missile strikes.Materials and Methods. The study has employed methods of scientific and technical literature review, analysis,classification, systematization, and generalization of available data on military operations in Ukraine. Laboratoryanalyses have also been conducted to determine the composition and quality characteristics of sunflower oil before and after exposure to explosive impacts.Results. The study has identified ammunition residues and rocket fuel as the principal sources of environmentalcontamination during hostilities, as they contain toxic heavy-metal compounds and hazar dous combustion products. During the first 214 days of the war, 6,215 fires have been recorded across an area of 486,162 ha, including 371,715 ha of agricultural land, while total greenhouse gas emissions have reached 23,764 million t of CO2 equivalent. Laboratory analyses of sunflower oil have shown that, although the basic quality indicators remained relatively stable (acid value: 2.12 mg KOH/g; peroxide value: 10.8 meq/kg), concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons increased critically to 794.3 μg/kg, exceeding the regulatory limit more than fifteen times. In addiion, the concentration of dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls increased significantly, with toxic equivalency values rising from 0.339 to 0.594 pg TEQ/g fat. These findings have confirmed severe contamination of the oil and have demonstrated substantial risks to food safety.Conclusions. The findings have substantial practical significance for the development of environmental monitoring systems, the improvement of food safety standards, the planning of contaminated land remediation, and decisionmaking regarding the potential technical use of contaminated agricultural products
Source: Science and innovation
Institutions: Institute of Food Resources of National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding, Institute of Water Problems and Land Reclamation, Ukrainian Institute for Plant Variety Examination, Uman National University
Language: English
Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7203675299