A Wartime Mission - ELAW Fellow Helps Ukraine

PHOTO: Todd Cooper, Eugene Weekly

Amidst the steady stream of painful news from Ukraine, we are inspired by the work of ELAW Fellow Kateryna Polianska and her co-workers at Environment People Law.

Kateryna arrived in Eugene from Ukraine two weeks ago. She spoke recently with reporter Henry Houston at the Eugene Weekly. Kateryna describes the Russian military’s crimes against humanity and attacks on Ukraine’s environment and animals.

“Russians came in and destroyed everything — bridges, forests, parts of rivers, a lot of buildings,” she says.

Kateryna is working closely with ELAW Staff Attorneys, Staff Scientists, and other experts to document the environmental impacts of war, calculate damages, and identify best practices for restoring destroyed ecosystems.

Last weekend, she traveled to the Oregon Coast and met with Paul Engelmeyer, an expert in watershed restoration and coastal conservation. In the weeks ahead, she will visit the site of Oregon wildfires and learn about recovery work.

We thank Kateryna for inspiring us and we will keep you informed of our work with her.