The Russian occupiers looted the Askania-Nova nature reserve in the Kherson region, and now it is virtually gone.
Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, said this in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
The Russians are destroying the Askania-Nova reserve
Prokudin noted that the Russians are really destroying the nature reserve in the Kherson region and taking the animals to the temporarily occupied Crimea and Russia.
– Yes, it is true, they are destroying it. The last thing I heard was that they were taking animals to Crimea and Russia. That is, we can say that the reserve no longer exists. They looted the nature reserve thoroughly, – said the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration.
What is known about the reserve Askania-Nova
The Askania Nova Biosphere Reserve is a state reserve that was founded in 1898 by Friedrich Falz-Fein.
Askania-Nova was a unique reserve not only for Ukraine, but also for the whole world.
In particular, Askania-Nova is the largest steppe reserve in Europe. About 140,000 tourists visited it every year.
The area of the biosphere reserve is more than 33,000 hectares, of which more than 11 hectares are protected areas.
The territory of the reserve is divided into three large parts, separated from each other: Northern, Velikiy Chapelsky pod, Southern.
Askania-Nova during the Russian occupation
On February 24, 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, at approximately 9 a.m. the territory of the Askania-Nova reserve was under Russian occupation.
Despite the Russian occupation, for more than a year (until March 2023), the management of the reserve and the payment of wages to workers were carried out by Ukraine. Most of the workers continued to live in the occupation to take care of Askania-Nova.
However, in March 2023, the Russians established an occupation administration in the reserve, which began to manage it.
Then the Russian occupiers began to export rare animals from Askania-Nova. In addition, the invaders organized a hunt for animals.
