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oa Analysis of the Condition of Agricultural Lands Damaged as a Result of Military Actions using Remote Sensing Methods
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, International Conference of Young Professionals «GeoTerrace-2025», Oct 2025, Volume 2025, p.1 - 5
Abstract
Analysis of the condition of agricultural lands damaged as a result of military actions in Ukraine is an important and timely issue for the country. The authors of this article examined the impact of military actions on the degree and scale of agricultural land damage using the example of the lands of the Khotynska settlement community, Sumy district, Sumy region. The study assessed the damage to agricultural lands with a total area of 859 hectares caused by military operations during the period 2022–2025. Using the Google Earth Engine platform and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, a customized script was developed to calculate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) during the vegetation periods of 2022–2025. Based on the analysis of NDVI threshold values, the areas of damaged agricultural lands were identified, corresponding to sites with recorded impacts of aerial bombs or other types of weaponry. The research results include quantitative assessments of degraded areas and visualization of spatio-temporal changes, which are important for monitoring and planning recovery measures in the conflict zone. In 2022, agricultural lands in the studied areas sustained damage of 29.8 ha (3.5%), in 2023 no additional war-related damages were recorded, in 2024 additional damage amounted to 13.0 ha (1.5%), and in 2025 the maximum damage occurred in April, affecting 38.9 ha (4.5%). The results obtained by the authors are aimed at developing strategies for restoring the agricultural sector, updating land condition databases, and conducting research to assess the ecological and economic consequences of the war.
