Russian occupation destroys iconic Kherson Askania-Nova Reserve – military administration’s head Prokudin

Russian invaders looted the Askania-Nova Reserve, which is located in the temporarily occupied Kherson region.

Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, reported this in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

"It's true, they are destroying it. The last thing I heard was that they were taking the animals to Crimea and Russia. That is, we can say that the reserve is no longer there. They robbed it thoroughly," he said.

He also noted that the residents of the Kherson region will continue to feel the consequences of the Kakhovka HPP destruction for a long time to come.

"The reserves were flooded, and we lost a lot of everything. We will feel this for a long time. But life and nature continue to develop; we will see what happens next. The opinions of scientists and environmentalists are divided. Some say that rebuilding the Kakhovka HPP is unnecessary, but all economically savvy people say it is necessary because the region will not survive," Prokudin said.

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At the beginning of July, Rubryka reported that the Russians planned to take another batch of animals from the occupied Ascania-Nova Reserve to Crimea. They call the theft of the fauna of the reserve "exchange."

It is worth noting that the occupiers have already taken out animals from the Askania-Nova Reserve more than once.

Therefore, last December, several Chapman's zebras, American bison, Przewalski's horses, and David's deer were displaced from their habitat in the Kherson steppe. This was a result of the reserve's management engaging in unauthorized trade of animals between Askania-Nova zoological park and the State Natural Biosphere Reserve "Rostovskyi" and the Association for the Preservation and Restoration of Rare and Endangered Animal Species "Living Nature of the Steppe" (based in Rostov-on–Don), under pre-signed "creative cooperation agreements".

In April, it was recorded that more animals were removed from Askania-Nova. Three Chapman's zebras from the Askania-Nova Zoological Park's collection were illegally taken to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in a supposed "exchange" with the private Yalta Zoo "Skazka" and Lion Park "Taigan" (led by director Zubkov).

Furthermore, the occupiers are actively fabricating the appearance of tourism within the reserve. Ukrainian conservationists propose that the new management may potentially permit Russian forces to utilize the area, posing a direct danger to rare animal species.