On June 6, 2025 was held the conference «Second anniversary of the Kakhovka HPP tragedy - environmental dimension,» organised by the Kherson Regional Military Administration with the participation of Oleksandr Haidu, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy, Oleh Bondarenko, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management, Taras Vysotskyi, First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, Oleksandr Prokudin, Head of the Kherson Regional State Administration, Oleksandr Kulikov, Head of the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy, and Oleksandr Kulikov, Head of the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy.
The participants discussed the complex consequences of the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, including large-scale environmental damage, destruction of water and energy infrastructure, threats to the life support systems of the population, and challenges for the agricultural sector.
During the speech it was emphasised that the destruction of the Kahovska HPP is an unprecedented act of genocide which caused significant losses not only for Ukraine but for the entire Black Sea region. The reservoir provided drinking water and irrigation to millions of people and hundreds of thousands of hectares of agricultural land. Its undermining has dealt a serious blow to food security, especially in the South and East of Ukraine, where climate change is already having a significant impact on agricultural production.
A special attention was paid to the necessity to develop modern land reclamation systems and water management reform. The Verkhovna Rada has already adopted the Law of Ukraine «On Water Users’ Organisations», which opens up opportunities for effective management of irrigation systems at the local level. The next step will be to complete the water sector reform and institutionally strengthen the reclamation infrastructure management system.
The repair of the Kahovska Reservoir is possible only after the de-occupation of the territories and the end of hostilities. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine continues to work on the legislative framework to ensure sustainable development of the regions affected by the war and protect the country's environmental resources.