Locations‘Taming the dust of war’
In Kryvyi Rih, a city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the sound of explosions was part of life long before the full-scale war. Known for the massive iron ore quarries that scar the local landscape, the city’s industry relies on controlled mining explosions. However, each of these blasts leaves behind heavy clouds of dust and toxic gases that linger in the air, affecting the environment and the health of the city’s residents.
For Vadym Shchokin, this is not an abstract problem. It is something he deals with every day.
He has spent most of his career in applied science, working at the intersection of engineering, energy efficiency, and environmental protection. Today, he leads a research institute that has worked alongside Ukraine’s mining industry for decades. In recent years, his focus has shifted toward environmental safety, but the full-scale war made that work harder and even more urgent.
Industrial production dropped, cutting funding. Strikes hit close to the institute, and power outages became routine. In winter, the building couldn’t be properly heated.
“At one point, people were sitting at their computers and lab equipment in winter coats,” Shchokin says. “It was difficult. But we kept working.”
While the team has shrunk to just 33 people, those who stayed have adapted. They continue to develop practical solutions, such as a reagent that absorbs gases released during quarry explosions. This simple intervention has a visible impact, decreasing emissions and allowing workers to return to the site sooner and more safely: “Before, the concentration of gases and dust created real risks. Now we see a clear improvement,” Shchokin says.
As the war has continued, it has introduced new environmental threats on top of the existing industrial ones. When buildings are damaged, hazardous materials like asbestos can enter the air and stay there long after a strike. To deal with this, Shchokin and his colleagues are setting up a laboratory to monitor asbestos contamination. The equipment will allow them to track what happens after strikes, and better understand long-term risks for residents.
Sustaining this work in wartime is not easy. Through UNDP-supported initiatives funded by Sweden, environmental institutions in Kryvyi Rih have received equipment and laboratory resources that help strengthen environmental monitoring and response efforts.
In a city where industry and war collide, his work is not about big statements. It’s about practical changes, the kind that make the air a little safer to breathe.
“I don’t see myself anywhere else,” he says. “I was born here, and I am useful here. My place is working for Ukraine.”
