Earth Observation to Safeguard Land Rights in Conflict-Affected Ukraine
GDA Fragility, Conflict and Security used satellite Earth Observation data to monitor land insecurity, conflict damage, and looting in Ukraine, supporting recovery planning and decision-making in areas inaccessible due to war.
Description
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has severely disrupted land ownership and property rights, particularly in contested and occupied regions. Amid displacement, looting, and infrastructure collapse, the GDA Fragility, Conflict and Security activity partnered with the World Bank to assess the extent and impact of land grabbing. Using satellite Earth Observation (EO), the team monitored key indicators of insecurity, including looting activity, damage to infrastructure, and harvest delays, offering critical insights for humanitarian responders, national authorities, and development partners.
In regions such as Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Bakhmut, EO was instrumental in mapping conflict impacts where physical access is limited. Nightlight data highlighted economic collapse in eastern oblasts, while EO combined with media analytics in Kherson revealed spikes in land-grabbing during occupation. In Bakhmut, high-resolution imagery showed that over one-third of urban structures had been destroyed by mid-2023. These data products provided situational awareness, supported land administration recovery, and laid the groundwork for future reconstruction efforts in formerly occupied areas.
You can read more about this Case Study on the GDA Impact Sphere: A battle for land: how EO is protecting property rights in Ukraine