Russia's invasion of Ukraine is polluting crops, pastures, leaving a poisonous legacy, and putting human health at grave risk in the long run. We studied several artillery shell craters and a rocket-caused 20-meter hole in the fields along Irpin river valley 35 km north from Kyiv. Near the Demydiv village and Ozera site, heavy metal remnants from missiles and ammunition were detected; this was compared with the data obtained from the remote UXO destruction site. The evidence of military pollution is confirmed by higher rock magnetic indices, in particular, magnetic susceptibility. The magnetic mineralogical data according to Dearing plot indicate that the UXO destruction site displays a magnetic signal that can be interpreted as technogenic in the first group of samples and pedogenic in the second group. The degree of environmental damage relative to the types of ammunition and soil type is carefully documented so that goverment institutions and agricultural corporations know where to direct rehabilitation and clean-up efforts once the conflict ends.
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