THE Primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, has warned that his country’s ecosystem is being destroyed by Russian air strikes. It could also take decades to clear it of mines, even after Moscow’s invasion came to an end, he said.

“Our land is experiencing multiple forms of pollution as a result of Russian aggression — every rocket explosion or drone crash with toxic fuel harms our nature, waters, and soils,” Archbishop Shevchuk said.

“Ukraine is one of the world’s most mined countries, with almost 140,000 sq. km contaminated with explosives, comparable to almost half the territory of a country like Italy. De-mining will require decades of hard work.”

In a message issued on Sunday (Palm Sunday in almost all Orthodox Churches), Archbishop Shevchuk appealed to the world not to neglect Ukraine. His Church launched a tree-planting campaign around Kyiv last week, to replace burned and destroyed forest areas. But, he said, Ukrainian farmers would have to fight for the harvest, because of the persistent environmental destruction.

“All living things, both people and environment, are suffering in Ukraine today,” he said. “Unfortunately, we are seeing the tragedy of Ukraine, the crimes against humanity and the environment, gradually disappearing from the world media, as events in the Middle East distract attention. While many are given the false impression that the situation has stabilised, this is a media illusion.”

President Zelensky has again invited Pope Leo and the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I, to visit Ukraine. He has also proposed a temporary ceasefire on strikes against energy infrastructure for the Orthodox Easter on 12 April.

Deaths and injuries were reported when Russian drones and missiles struck high-rise buildings in Kharkiv and the port city of Odesa. A representative of the UN Mine Action Service, Paul Heslop, confirmed at a New York briefing that the presence of six million unexploded artillery shells, grenades, and landmines were preventing fields from being planted and critical infrastructure rebuilt.

He said that 30,000 sq. km of Ukrainian territory had recently been reassessed as safe, using data analytics and AI satellite and drone imagery, but continued contamination was costing Ukraine £8.3 billion yearly, and reducing its GDP growth by up to five per cent.