Explained: What eco-warrior Greta Thunberg is doing in Ukraine

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has joined forces with environmental activist Greta Thunberg and European leaders to tackle the ecological damage from the ongoing war. At a meeting on Thursday, they agreed to form a working group to deal with the environmental damage caused by Russia’s 16-month invasion. Expressing concerns about the harm to the environment, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg criticised the lack of international response to the crisis. “Ecocide and environmental destruction is a form of warfare… as Ukrainians by this point know all too well – and so does Russia,” Thunberg said during a press conference. “And that’s why they are deliberately targeting the environment and people’s livelihoods and homes and therefore also destroying lives…,” reports The Journal. The meeting in the Ukrainian capital came as fighting continued around the country. The governor of the Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin, said two people were killed in the region’s capital in a Russian strike that hit residences, a medical facility and a school where residents were lined up to receive humanitarian aid. Another person was killed in a morning strike on the village of Bilzoerka, the regional prosecutor’s office said. The presidential office said Thursday morning that at least eight civilians died in Russian attacks during the previous 24 hours. Zelenskyy also met former US vice president Mike Pence who visited Kyiv. Pence, an advocate of US support to Ukraine, is running for the 2024 Republican nomination for president. “We appreciate that both major US parties, the Republican and Democratic, remain united in their support for Ukraine. And, of course, we feel the strong support of the people of the United States,” Zelenskyy told Pence, according to the presidential website. The working group on the environment includes Thunberg, former Swedish deputy prime minister Margot Wallström, European Parliament vice president Heidi Hautala, and former Irish president Mary Robinson. [caption id=“attachment_12808382” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Expressing concerns about the harm to the environment, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg criticised the lack of international response to the crisis. AP[/caption] Zelenskyy said forming the group is “a very important signal of supporting Ukraine. It’s really important, we need your professional help.” Thunberg said Russian forces “are deliberately targeting the environment and people’s livelihoods and homes. And therefore also destroying lives. Because this is after all a matter of people.” The objectives of the working group are evaluating the environmental damage resulting from the war, formulating mechanisms to hold Russia accountable, and undertaking efforts to restore Ukraine’s ecology. In Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill met with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Vatican envoy for seeking peace between Russia and Ukraine. Kirill, a supporter of the war, said “It is very important that the Christian communities of East and West take part in the process of reconciliation,” according to video circulated by the Russian church. On 6 June, the Kakhovka dam in Kherson’s southern section was destroyed , flooding vast swaths of the territory. The accident killed hundreds of people and drove many more to flee. **Also Read: How destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam puts more than 40,000 people at risk** There are also concerns about the possibility of a disaster at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia power station, Europe’s largest nuclear reactor, which is presently under Russian control. According to The Journal, Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has warned of the dangers of a big disaster there. With inputs from AP Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.