Ukrainian warns of ‘catastrophic’ environmental cost as he swaps nature for firearms

Yehor Hrynyk wants a ban on the billion-dollar Russian and Belarussian wood trade said to be indirectly funding the Kremlin's war machine.

A Ukrainian conservationist who has swapped nature for firearms to defend his country wants the West to ban Russian wood imports.

Yehor Hrynyk had worked to preserve vast swathes of forest land before the attack by Vladimir Putin’s forces, but now finds himself warning about the Kremlin’s alleged exploitation of the trade for military purposes.

Overnight, the assault ended his work with a non-governmental organisation while he and his comrades engage in a fight for their lives, families and homeland. Yehor, 26, put his wedding, planned for last week, on hold and has moved from Kyiv to the western city of Lviv, where he has joined a territorial defence battalion.

He spoke to Metro.co.uk to support a call by more than 120 civil society groups for Western sanctions on all types of Russian and Belarussian wood imports that form a multi-billion dollar industry.

Unprecedented sanctions have been placed on Russia by the West and other nations worldwide following the invasion, with Shell announcing today that it is withdrawing from the oil and gas trade in the country.

But the coalition wants a stricter clampdown on the wood and timber industry, said to be funding ‘daily deaths and destruction’ in the invasion, which was launched on several fronts 13 days ago.

‘Forest conservation is no longer needed when we are at risk of losing our homes and our lives,’ Yehor said. ‘When the war started, I evacuated my bride, my brother and my sister to the border of Ukraine.

‘My wedding had been due to take place last week, and I hope that I will be able to get married when the war is over. My mother refused to evacuate from Kyiv and she is there now under the bombs.’

In the relative safety of Lviv, Yehor has joined the campaign to ban wood and timber products, including pallets, paper products and furniture.

The exports, which were worth nearly 16 billion US dollars last year, are said by the campaigners to indirectly fund the Kremlin’s war machine.

While sanctions placed on Belarus by the EU do include wood, the lobby wants clarification that the ban includes all raw materials and processed goods, and want similar measures taken against Russia.

The forest campaigner, of the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group, is among coalition signatories also including Earthsight UK and the WWF.

‘European companies consume a lot of Russian and Belarussian wood,’ he said. ‘Moreover, a lot of such wood is not marked as sustainable. We believe that we all share the value that human lives are of highest importance.

‘Therefore, we believe that governments and companies should suspend any operations involving Russian and Belarussian wood.

‘Not only timber, but all products, including paper and semi-processed wood. IKEA, Metsa and Stora Enso have already announced that they will stop operations within Russia. It is great, but other companies, as well as governments, have so far not taken any action.’

The trade is part of a wider picture in a country where pollution and damage resulting from the destruction and neglect of the natural world could form a significant part of the aftershocks from the war.

‘The longer war the goes on, the more problems will be created,’ Yehor said.

‘No one will manage nature sustainably.

‘There is also a huge risk of catastrophic events, such as pollution due to problems on huge plants and farms. For example, one of the poultry farms is without electricity leading to millions of animals dying, which will be a disaster for the surrounding territories.

‘There is also the potential destruction of nuclear power plants and the pollution of rivers among the other threats. The environment knows no borders, so the fallout will affect the whole of Europe.’

Yehor’s work had been focused on re-establishing hundreds of thousands of hectares of precious forest across Ukraine, helping to secure reserve status for some of the most biodiverse and tranquil oases in Europe.

Rare species were being given a foothold and routes opened up for bird-watching, cycling and hiking.

Now, he is engaged in a fight for human survival that has included two million people leaving Ukraine for neighbouring countries and the deaths of 1,335 civilians so far, according to figures from the United Nations.

‘The situation in Lviv is difficult, there are many refugees, a lot of them now located in schools or other public places,’ Yehor said.

‘As with everywhere in Ukraine, there is a strong volunteer movement here, helping refugees, people in the besieged cities and the military.

‘The warfare has actually united people all over Ukraine. Literally everyone is now cursing Putin and volunteering to support our country. Despite Putin’s claims that people here would welcome Russian soldiers, even those who were far away from politics joined the military or volunteer movements.

‘The problem is that the threat is very big, and we need support.’

In the call for a ban, the campaigners say that the industry ‘indirectly helps to equip Russian soldiers, fuel their tanks and produce their bombs’, leading to ‘daily deaths and destruction’.

Yehor, like millions of Ukrainians, is still hoping for a life outside the Kremlin’s shadow.

‘Maybe once we get Putin out of our country our lives will go back to normal,’ he said. ‘And maybe there will finally be some wedding bells for me and my fiancée.’

Metro.co.uk has approached the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for comment.

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