Kherson Oblast nature reserve damaged but not fully destroyed by Russia, director clarifies

The Askania-Nova Nature Reserve in Kherson Oblast suffered heavily under Russian occupation but has not been fully destroyed as of now, the reserve's director, Viktor Shapoval, said in a comment for Suspilne on Aug. 19

Shapoval was reacting to a statement by Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin for the media that the reserve effectively ceased to exist because of Russia.

"The Russian military destroyed the Kahkovka hydroelectric power plant, flooding the region, and the famous Nature Reserve Askania-Nova was looted," Prokudin said in an interview with RBC Ukraine.

"The last thing I heard was that they are taking the animals to Crimea and Russia. That is, we can say that the reserve no longer exists. They robbed it thoroughly."

Askania-Nova is a biosphere reserve located in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, that fell under Russian occupation from the first days of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to Shapoval, Prokudin's words were likely taken out of context. The animals are being illegally taken away, but the reserve is far from being completely destroyed, he said.

The management head stressed, however, that the reserve suffered heavily as a result of Russian aggression, with many animals dying due to neglect and a large part of the steppes burning down.

Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported last November that Russian occupying forces were moving the animals from the Askania-Nova Nature Reserve to a safari park in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai.

Russian troops reportedly took several Chapman's zebras, American bison, Przewalski's horses, and Père David's deers from the Askania Zoo.

All these species have the status of "close to extinction," "endangered," and "close to endangered" and are listed in the Red Book and the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

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The Kyiv IndependentElsa Court