Lions injured, birds killed — Russian attack strikes eco-park near Kharkiv
Russian forces struck the Feldman Eco-Park near the city of Kharkiv, wounding and killing dozens of animals, Oleksandr Feldman, a Ukrainian member of parliament and founder of the eco-park, reported on Jan. 1.
"The predators’ winter enclosure and the birds’ winter housing were completely destroyed. The lions were injured. Everything there is destroyed," Feldman told Suspilne after a Russian glide bomb struck the eco-park, which is located on the outskirts of Kharkiv in the village of Lisne.
"As for the birds, if not all of them died, then most did. A shell hit the aviary," he added.
Feldman also said that one of the eco-park volunteers sustained minor head lacerations amid the attack.
Russian strikes have previously targeted the eco-park. In July 2024, two eco-park employees were injured in a Russian drone strike on the eco-park's territory.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, over 100 animals and five people, including employees and volunteers, have been killed by Russian forces on the eco-park's grounds.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, animals and livestock has immensely suffered from the consequences of Russian attacks.
In October 2025, a Russian drone strike on a pig farm in Kharkiv Oblast killed approximately 13,000 pigs, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported.
Russia has previously targeted Ukrainian zoos in strikes, and animals living in nature reserves and shelters under Russian occupation have reportedly suffered from starvation and malnutrition.
Animal rights organization UAnimals estimated in June 2024 that over 6,000,000 animals have died since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 — although that total has grown significantly since the report was published, with millions more animals likely killed as a result of Russia's invasion.
