Fires Burn Nearly 2,000 Hectares of Protected Askania-Nova Reserve in Occupied Kherson Region

Two major fires have burned almost 2,000 hectares of the protected Falz-Fein Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve in the Russian-occupied Kherson region, destroying rare steppe habitats and threatening endangered plant species, the reserve said.

Using Sentinel-2 satellite images taken on June 24 and June 29, the reserve said the fires scorched a total of 1,928 hectares in its protected southern section.

A second fire on June 29 also spread beyond the reserve into nearby farmland within its buffer zone, burning another 566.6 hectares.

According to the reserve, several protected sectors were completely destroyed, while others suffered partial damage.

The fires devastated areas of untouched steppe that contain rare plant communities listed in Ukraine’s Green Book.

The damaged habitats are home to several endangered feather grass species protected under Ukraine’s Red Book, including Ukrainian feather grass, hairy feather grass, and Lessing’s feather grass.

The reserve said habitats of other protected species, including Taliev’s knapweed, Henning’s milkvetch, and Regel’s onion, were also damaged.

Reserve officials said the fires match open-source intelligence (OSINT) findings. On June 29, occupation-controlled media reported a fire in the reserve’s southern section, claiming it was caused by a drone being shot down.

The reserve rejected that explanation, saying the destruction was linked to the presence of Russian forces inside the protected area.

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Prior to the outbreak of war in 2022, the unit had not been expanded since 2010.

“All of this is the result of the deployment of military equipment and personnel of the occupying forces directly on the Reserve’s territory and under its ‘cover’,” the reserve said.

Askania-Nova, one of Europe’s oldest and most important steppe nature reserves, has remained under Russian occupation since the early months of the full-scale invasion.

According to Ukraine’s State Environmental Inspectorate, confirmed environmental damage caused by Russia’s full-scale war has exceeded UAH 7 trillion ($155.6 billion).