Wildfires of war in Ukraine: Implications for fire governance in a changing world

War reshapes wildfire regimes both directly and indirectly, yet its impacts remain largely overlooked. Russia's invasion into Ukraine has significantly increased wildfire activity, while displacement, land abandonment, contamination with unexploded ordnance, and collapse of fire management have increased fuel loads, making fires harder to control. Zooming in on Ukraine, we discuss how war and armed conflict reshapes wildfire regimes, with impacts extending beyond frontlines through smoke, contaminant redistribution, and greenhouse gas emissions. In a time of increasing global conflict and climate change, we propose four key steps to mitigate cascading impacts of wildfires of war to protect public health and ecosystems: (1) acknowledge war-related fire impacts in fire governance, (2) systematically collect data to support ecocide claims and restoration, (3) tailor fire management to war-affected landscapes and communities through risk-based fuel management, demining, and training, and (4) empower communities while preventing brain drain by creating opportunities for skilled professionals.