On the first day of the full-scale invasion, the russians occupied the largest wild forest in Central Europe, setting trees on fire and digging trenches. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have since regained control of this area, but the consequences of the russian intervention may be irreversible (for the russians themselves as well). What place is being referred to?
The Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve was among the first to suffer at the onset of full-scale war. russians occupied the area from February 24 to March 31, 2022, building fortifications and concealing vehicles. Due to digging and setting fire to plants, radiation levels in the reserve rose, affecting both nature and people around the area, and the invaders themselves were exposed to significant doses of radiation.
russians also occupied Ukraine’s oldest nature reserve, Askania-Nova, on the first day of the invasion. With their irresponsible actions, the invaders damaged the reserve’s "main natural asset," as reported by the Kherson Regional Military Administration. What does this refer to?
The administration of Askania-Nova used satellite images to document the russian crimes against the steppe: plowing the protected land to stop fires and laying trenches.
russian soldiers damaged soils and plants not only by digging trenches. After its liberation, another type of eco-crime against vegetation was discovered in the Kamianska Sich National Nature Park. What did environmentalists find during their expedition?
Evidence was found in the liberated Kamianska Sich National Nature Park, showing that russians had used rare plant species to camouflage their military positions. russian soldiers tore up the turf of several types of feather grass — the very plants that the park was originally established to protect.
russian shelling and landmines are also destroying natural landscapes. They damaged the Holy Mountains National Nature Park, where the russian bombing and mine planting devastated unique pine forests. What else in the park's ecosystem was affected by these crimes?
Due to fires caused by russian shelling and mining, 80% of the forest and Europe’s unique chalk slopes were damaged. According to the park’s administration, the relict endangered pine trees can fully thrive only on this chalky substrate.
Animals also become victims of russian soldiers. They are killed or injured by fires and explosions and suffer from severe stress. In one of Donetsk's nature parks, russian soldiers destroyed bird nesting areas by digging trenches. As a result, populations of the Pallas's gull, Eurasian oystercatcher, and Sandwich tern, which only nest there, are now at risk. Do you know which park this is?
It is in the Meotyda Park where russians are digging trenches, thus destroying bird nesting sites. Part of the park had been under occupation even before the full-scale war — there, the invaders regularly conducted military drills on the Kryva Spit, killing many birds and destroying their nests.
Another unique bird species affected by the russians is the pelican, which used to inhabit the Pryazovskyi National Nature Park. The invaders turned it into a training ground for mobilized soldiers. How did they harm the pelicans?
The invaders used artillery to destroy an island where a colony of great white pelicans and Dalmatian pelicans had just formed. In total, about 280 bird species used to live in the national park, but the damage caused by russian aggression is difficult to assess since the park is still under military occupation.
Sometimes, russians kill animals not with weapons but with their criminal negligence in occupied territories. One victim of such negligence was a group of African buffalo in the Askania-Nova reserve. What caused the death of three of their number in November 2023?
African buffaloes are heat-loving animals that are kept outdoors until winter cold sets in, after which they are moved to indoor shelters. The occupation administration failed to relocate them in time, and three of them died from hypothermia, while one female died from injuries on the way to the winter shelter.
Additionally, in Askania-Nova, the russians neglected an important rule that had been enforced in the reserve before the occupation. This led to the death of a nilgai antelope. What rule was ignored?
After the occupation of Askania-Nova, the russians regularly flew over the reserve, including at low altitudes. Frightened by an airplane, a nilgai antelope fatally crashed into the enclosure fence in August 2022.
Lastly, let’s recall the most large-scale act of ecocide committed by russian invaders on Ukrainian lands during the full-scale war. When they blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, a valuable protected area was completely submerged. What was the name of that protected area?
One of the most affected protected areas was the Lower Dnipro National Nature Park. From February 2022 to April 2023, more than 7,000 hectares of this protected are burned down. Then in June, when russia destroyed the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, the park was completely flooded. The damage cannot be assessed yet, as most of the park’s territory is still under occupation.
Of course, the russians must be held accountable for all these eco-crimes! Are there any clear international legal norms that might help condemn the invaders for the damage to Ukrainian nature?
The Rome Statute still does not contain a definition of ecocide as a crime, and the Geneva Convention does not specifically protect nature reserves and sanctuaries. Currently, there is only the 2016 United Nations General Assembly resolution on the environment, which calls on member states to protect the environment during armed conflicts. However, such resolutions are not binding, and russia took advantage of this loophole, omitting environmental protection requirements from its military documents. The fight now is to push for changes in European legislation through activism, legal developments, and lobbying for nature protection laws.
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You care about the fate of Ukrainian nature — that is what matters most. Keep staying informed about what is happening and share information about russian environmental crimes on social media. The world needs to hear this and seek ways to hold the criminals accountable.
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It seems you follow the latest environmental news and pay attention to the issues facing our protected nature. Continue to cultivate this concern and share information about russian environmental crimes on social media. The world needs to hear this and find ways to hold the criminals accountable.
Thank you for completing this quiz!
You know a lot about protected areas, rare species, and the threats they face during the full-scale war. Keep up the good work, and spread the word about russian environmental crimes on social media to ensure they are not forgotten. The world needs to hear this and find ways to hold the criminals accountable.
