Analysis of the manifestation of soil cover degradation processes of the kyiv region under the military operations influence

The study is devoted to the assessment of the consequences of the impact of hostilities on the soil in the Kyiv region in March 2022. The research methodology was based on the use of criteria that are taken into account when manifestations of mechanical and physical degradation due to soil cover disturbance occur. Mechanical disturbances of the morphological structure of sod-slightly podzolic sandy loam soil profile on ancient alluvial deposits due to its removal and displacement with the formation of a deep sinkhole 400 cm in diameter and 104 cm deep were revealed, which indicates pedoturbation and violation of the integrity of the landscape. The density of the soil composition is higher by 25.4–28.2% in samples taken from the peripheral part of the sinkhole at different depths and its bottom compared to undisturbed soils, as well as in soil taken from the tracks where military vehicles were moving. We believe that in the first years of the end of hostilities, the best measures to restore the affected ecosystems may be their self-healing processes, as well as the cultivation of plants that help to structure and loosen the soils and are capable of accumulating organic matter.