The war in Ukraine, even after it is over, will long continue to remind us of its bleeding wounds.
In addition to military personnel killed or injured as a result of direct participation in the fighting, many civilians have also suffered as a result of this war. The war also caused significant damage to the environment.
The sabotage at the Kakhovskaya HPP, the emergence of a nuclear threat as a result of the seizure of the Zaporozhskaya NPP by the Russians, the direct impression by Russian UAVs of the facilities at the Chernobyl NPP creates a real threat to the life and health not only of the citizens of Ukraine, but also of all residents of the Baltic-Black Sea-Caspian region. Therefore, the President of Ukraine and the Government should already now think about restoring the ecological balance and protect the population from both possible radiation leaks and chemical contamination of territories, and from mines and unexploded ordnance.
The problem of environmental safety and overcoming the consequences of the war is important and relevant for all countries that were in a similar situation.
It was recently publicized in the media that the Government of Senegal plans to allocate 54 billion CFA francs for the return of refugees and demining of territories in the province of Casamance, which was once the epicenter of the armed conflict between rebels and government forces.
For Senegal, the region is economically important because it is a major food supplier and the agricultural products grown there are safe for consumption.
Once the fighting is over, Ukraine will face similar problems. But, unlike Senegal, Ukraine has significant scientific and technical potential and, with proper organization and funding, can cope with the consequences of the war quite quickly.
In the future, Ukraine’s positive experience could be used in Africa and other regions of the world where there have been armed conflicts and whose populations need protection from their negative consequences and humanitarian assistance.
Today, Ukraine itself is experiencing a number of difficulties arising from Russian armed aggression, but the main thing is that it has survived and preserved its independence and State sovereignty.
This gives it grounds and a real opportunity to realize its subjectivity and play a much greater role in the world and have a significant impact on the processes taking place in the sphere of regional security, international relations and global politics.
Oleg Berezyuk
