Russian soldiers destroy the Kinburn Spit: almost 4,000 hectares of forest are burning
In the southern region of Ukraine, Russian soldiers are destroying the unique Kinburn Spit Reserve, which is part of the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve. Fires have been going on in this area for more than a week, which are being extinguished due to the temporary occupation of the territory.
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Lyudmyla Denisova noted that forests have been burning in the Kherson region since mid-April. The fire covered almost 4,000 hectares of forests on the border of Kherson and Mykolayiv regions.
– The whole flora is under threat of destruction, in particular, the largest field of wild Red Book orchids in Europe (its area reaches over 60 hectares), perennial trees, pink lakes, animals, – said the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner.
Now there are people on the territory of the spit who need help, but the exit to the mainland is controlled by the Russian military, which does not allow forest guards to fires. Fire engines lack fuel to extinguish the flames, have no equipment and almost no food for locals.
The situation in the unique protected area is approaching catastrophic, the ombudsman said. The consequences of forest fires are very dangerous for human life and extremely devastating to the environment. The fire destroys entire ecosystems of Ukrainian forests, which will be difficult to restore later, Denisova explained.
The occupiers’ actions violated the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their additional protocols (in particular, Protocol No. 1 of 1977). The ombudsman appealed to the UN Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations during the full-scale military invasion of the Russian Federation to take into account the facts of human rights violations by the Russian army in Ukraine.
