Mapping War Fires and Civilian Harm Reports in Ukraine
Insulate Ukraine and DSSD Global's joint initiative to identify critical areas affected by the war in Ukraine.
Follow along with Insulate Ukraine's mission to protect citizens faced with the effects of war. This initiative specifically works on the ground in places where buildings have been damaged due to the war, to install insulating windows.
Zones Affected by War
This map of Ukraine depicts the effects of war on varying zones at the district level.
Ukraine Invasion Interactive Map
Assessed Russian Control, Claimed Russian Territory, and Assessed Russian Advance in Ukraine data is all sourced from the Institute of War, hosted on the Economist's Github.
War Fires
War fires have had a tremendous effect on the health and safety of people in Ukraine. Data derived from the economist's war fire model helps us visualize the stories and human lives affected by war fires.
War Fires 2022-2024
This overview, shows where war fires have broken out in Ukraine. Data was developed by The Economist's War Fire Model.
Timeline of War Fires (2022-2024) - The Economist
"This repository contains the source code and data associated with The Economist’s Ukraine war-fire model. This model uses statistical techniques from machine learning and publicly available satellite data on temperature anomalies to detect war events. Between February 24th, 2022,and February 18th, 2023, we detected 14,068 such events in the country. We have since added many more: as of June 19th 2024, we have detected 93,834."
Zaporizhzia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) Bombing
Used recently as a Russian stronghold, ZNPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, has been a target amid the Ukrainian-Russia war. Russian forces accused Ukraine of shelling the dome of the plant, reports say radiation levels were normal after. In the case a meltdown occurred, severe consequences would occur.
Bakhmut Bombings
Bakhmut has been the focus of countless attacks. Ukrainian president says Russian forces "destroyed Bakhmut, another Donbas city that the Russian army turned into burnt ruins" (Zelensky, 2023).
Attacks on Chernihiv
In Kyiv and Chornobyl's periphery, Chernihiv was particularly bombarded in the beginning of the war, resulting in the loss of civilian life in this area.
War Fire Heat Map
In this map, we can see areas around Ukraine where war fires have been most concentrated. Here it is visualized that eastern Ukraine has the highest amount of war fires in the country.
Civilian Harm Reports
Civilian harm reports were compiled and validated by researchers as Bellingcat, an online repository of open-source data. This database highlights incidents in Ukraine that might have resulted in civilian harm. Reports include and are not limited to "where rockets or missiles struck civilian areas, where attacks have resulted in the destruction of civilian infrastructure, where the presence of civilian injuries are visible and/or the presence of immobile civilian bodies" (Bellingcat, 2024). The repository began data collection February 24th, 2022, and constantly updates as it is a living document of open-sourced data as the conflict persists.
Click on the civilian harm report points to learn about the stories of each. Points are linked to news articles, telegram updates, etc. to provide a fuller picture of what is happening on the ground.
Civilian Harm Report Repository
Links in the above maps are provided by people on the ground, and verified by the Bellingcat research team. Sources are provided for each point.
Civilian Harm Heat Map
Note from the author
Often when looking at data, we tend to develop a cognitive dissonance of what is happening on the ground. I hope when looking at these maps with their points, lines, and polygons, we can translate their geographic meaning to the catastrophe of what is happening to the people of Ukraine. According to the UNHCR, 3.7 million Ukrainian citizens have been internally displaced, and nearly 6.5 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded globally as of February 2024. With Insulate Ukraine working on the ground, we can help Ukrainian people in the country live somewhat more comfortably amid times of war.
