Askania-Nova nature reserve completely destroyed and looted by Russian military – Kherson governor

The Biosphere Reserve Askania-Nova in the temporarily occupied Kherson Oblast actually no longer exists, as the Russian occipation forces "looted" it completely, Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson regional military administration, said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

Asked whether it is known in what state the reserve is now, the official said that the Russian troops are destroying it.

"The last thing I heard was that they are taking the animals to Crimea and Russia. That is, we can say that the reserve no longer exists. They robbed it thoroughly," said Prokudin.

Last year, it was reported that the Russians took several individuals of Chapman's zebra, American bison, Przewalski's horses and Père David's deer from the Askania zoo.

All these species are listed in the Red Book and in the the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List with the status of "extinct", "endangered" and "close to endangered".

On November 7, 2023, Ukraine's National Resistance Center wrote that the Russians were taking animals from Askania-Nova to Russia's Krasnodar Krai.

At the same time, the Russian occupiers had placed 11 strongpoints of the army in the Askania-Nova reserve: anti-aircraft defense equipment and armored troops.