Avdiivka escalation not just killing civilians directly but could lead to ecological disaster

In his report to the security council, the UN humanitarian chief, Stephen O’Brien, warned that the escalation in the conflict around Avdiivka, a Ukrainian frontline town in government-held territory, and Donetsk, was not just killing civilians directly but could lead to large numbers of casualties by destroying infrastructure like urban heating systems and triggering the release of dangerous chemicals.

This is reported by UK newspaper The Guardian.

“Today temperatures are -10C, but -20C is not unheard of at this time of the year. Adequate shelter, heating and access to water are therefore essential to people’s survival,” O’Brien warned. “If hostilities continue, we may also be faced with a serious environmental crisis. Damage to the Phenol plant near Novgorodske village means that waste chemicals, including deadly sulphuric acid and formaldehyde, are now at critical levels. Leakage into the surrounding land and the Seversky Donets river would have disastrous humanitarian consequences in a highly industrialised part of Europe.”
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