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Introduction: This paper presents comparative studies on the content and structure of organic matter (OM) and the activity of microbiological cellulose destruction in three types of Ukrainian soils intensively used in agricultural production., Methods: The highest content of humus in the arable layer (4.9%), OM (410 t ha -1 ), and total carbon (30.9 mg C g -1 soil) was determined in chernic phaeozems, which is 2.2-2.5 times higher than in albic retisols. The soil of natural ecosystems is characterised by a high content of microbial carbon (C mic ) in the carbon fraction of organic soil compounds., Results and Discussion: In arable soils, the content and reserves of humus and soil organic matter (SOM) have decreased by an average of 1.5-2 times. The most considerable loss of humus reserves in the soil profile was identified in albic retisols (1.96-1.44 times) and the smallest in chernic phaeozems (1.27-1.81 times). During the long-term systematic application of mineral fertilisers, the Corg content decreased by 8-21% in chernic phaeozems, 12-33% in greyzemic phaeozems, and 6-38% in albic retisols. A significant difference of 2.1-8.0 times was determined regarding the number of aerobic cellulolytic microorganisms and 1.3-3.3 times in the potential cellulolytic activity of the studied soils. The high number of cellulose-destroying microorganisms is characteristic of chernic phaeozems with a high content of OM in the soil; the advantage over other types of studied soils was 1.4 times and 7.8 times for greyzemic phaeozems and albic retisols, respectively. Among the studied soil types, high values of CO 2 emissions were identified in chernic phaeozems. Intensive agricultural practices in Ukrainian soils have significantly altered the content and composition of organic matter, leading to reduced humus and soil organic matter reserves. The study also underscores the importance of considering the abundance of cellulose-destroying microorganisms and their potential activity in assessing soil health and sustainability., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Symochko, Demyanyuk, Crisan and Dinca.)

The Russian-Ukrainian war is having a dramatic impact on the environment. The effects are still unknown. However, it is expected that the effects will be substantial. Since the conflict is ongoing, it is challenging to have ground-accurate data that could show an idea of the extension of the impact. Remote sensing can support a preliminary analysis in areas without safety to conduct fieldwork. This work aims to assess the impacts of the Russian-Ukrainian war on the environment using field and remote sensing sources. This is the first work that published fieldwork data from this conflict. Different soil properties were studied (e.g., texture and heavy metals) in different places (Novy Korotych and Mala Rohan). Remote sensing (e.g., Normalised Difference Vegetation Index) at different spatial scales (Eastern Ukraine and case study in the Kharkiv region) were assessed between 2021 and 2022. The results showed that the finer sediments increased in bombed areas compared with not bombed ones. Also, there was an increase in the content of heavy metals (e.g., Manganese, Iron, Cobalt, Copper, Cadmium, Chromium, Lead and Nickel) in soils in the shelled areas, compared to the non-shelled. This was mainly observed in the Novy Korotych site. Remote sensing analysis revealed that between 2021 and 2022 at a large scale (Eastern and southeastern Ukraine), vegetation greenness decreased in the areas where the combats are more intense (Luhansk and Donetsk) and increased in the southern area (Zaporizhia and Kherson), likely due to agriculture abandonment. On a small scale (case study in Kharkiv region), the vegetation greenness was affected due to the bombing. Although our results are preliminary, it is important to highlight that shelling is increasing soil pollution and contributing to vegetation greenness reduction where the fighting is intense. The actual impacts of the war still need to be understood entirely., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)