Three Countries, One River: the Uncertain Future of the Western Bug

2024-06-18

LVIV / PODLASIE / BREST – investigation highlights the threats to the Western bug river from the perspective of three neighbouring countries through which it flows. Journalists uncovered large scale of pollution, missing shared policies, unfinished projects, brutal border protection infrastructure, and shrinking biodiversity.

The Western Bug River flows through Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland, connecting all three countries and dividing them as a natural border. Western Bug is wild and still mostly unregulated, making it a rare gem in the scale of Europe. But is this uniqueness truly appreciated by the three neighbouring countries? Changes in the geopolitical situation (the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the declaration of Belarus as a coaggressor country) have put the interaction between the countries on pause regarding preserving the ecology of the Western Bug.

In the future, Western Bug will suffer even more severe consequences of climate change, which require preparation and ongoing river protection. Are we ready to face it?

Photo: Maria Dybcio

Team members

Maria Dybcio

Maria Dybcio is a Polish freelance journalist currently based in Germany.

Oksana Cooper

Oksana Cooper is an independent Ukrainian reporter.

Belarusian journalist

This is a Belarusian freelance journalist living outside of Belarus.

Supported

€7,097 allocated on 28/08/2023

ENV1/2023/270

Grant

Environmental Journalism

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