Ukrainian cropland hit with numerous fires amid Russian attacks

There were numerous res on agricultural land in eastern Ukraine in early July, when the region was under intensive military attack by Russia, according to an analysis of satellite images by e Yomiuri Shimbun and outside experts.

At most, more than 100 res broke out in a single day in the region, the analysis found. In one case, the burned land totaled 45 hectares.

“e res were likely caused by the con ict with Russian forces. ey are dealing a significant blow to Ukrainian agriculture,” a military expert said.

Yomiuri sta , together with space journalist Ayano Akiyama, analyzed images taken by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 Earth observation satellite between May and early August.

e analysis examined about 10,000 square kilometers straddling the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east of Ukraine.

Fires were rst identi ed from the infrared data of the images, and the EU’s land use statistics were then utilized to determine whether the res were on farmland.

According to the analysis, there was a sharp increase in

res between late June and early July in farmland on the outskirts of Lysychansk, a city next to Sievierodonetsk, a key strategic point in the Luhansk region. ere was also a dramatic rise in Bakhmut, which serves as a supply hub for the military in the Donetsk region.

Fires broke out at 16 sites on June 27, at 30 sites on July 2 and at 102 sites on July 7. e number of res decreased a erward. Some of the blazes may have been caused by open burning. However, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. policy research institute, Russian forces intensi ed military operations in Bakhmut a er taking the Luhansk region in early July. Subsequently, the Russians were reported to have moved some of their troops to the south, which coincides with the analysis results.

In Ukraine, elds stretch over at land around cities, according to Yu Koizumi, a lecturer at the University of Tokyo who specializes in Russian military strategy. “Russian forces shelled Ukrainian garrisons that were deployed extensively around farmland, probably sparking res in many areas on cropland,” Koizumi said.

Koizumi was concerned over toxic heavy metals contained in shells and other materials, saying, “It could take a long time to clean up soil contamination.”

Dubbed the “breadbasket of Europe,” Ukraine is known for its fertile land. In early July, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry posted on Twitter a photo of burning wheat elds near Bakhmut. “It is not Ukrainian wheat that is on re, it is the food security of the world that is on re,” the ministry said.

Russian troops may have deliberately targeted Ukrainian

elds in an attempt to undermine the country’s economy, an o cial of Ukraine’s Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry said during an interview with e Yomiuri Shimbun. Since Russia’s invasion, about 690,000 hectares of farmland across Ukraine have caught on

re — an area roughly the size of Shimane Prefecture.

e food ministry o cial stressed that wheat elds were dry in July and August, and even small res could easily spread, posing the greatest threat in a warzone. (Sept. 27)