Kherson authorities claim occupied Askania-Nova no longer exists, reserve denies

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

He confirmed that Russian troops have been hunting animals in the reserve in the Kherson region and have devastated it.

"Yes, it’s true, they are destroying it. The last I heard, they were transporting the animals to Crimea and Russia. So we can say that the reserve no longer exists. They have completely looted it," Prokudin emphasized.

At the same time, the director of the Askania-Nova reserve, Viktor Shapoval, in a comment to Suspilne, expressed his belief that Prokudin's statement that the reserve no longer exists was taken out of context.

According to him, while there are indeed instances of animals being removed, the destruction of the reserve itself is not currently under discussion.

“This is an ongoing process, but not a fait accompli. As of today, 20 animals have been exported to Russia and the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea. Some animals died due to neglect, lack of qualified scientific support and veterinary care. A significant part of the protected steppe - more than 2000 hectares - was burned out as a result of fires of various kinds,” said the director of the reserve.

He also added that these facts are being recorded by a special commission at the Kherson Regional State Administration and the State Environmental Inspectorate. A number of criminal proceedings have already been opened.

“There are facts of significant damage caused by Russia's armed aggression and occupation. The destruction of the reserve itself is not among them,” Shapoval emphasized.

• Yuriy Sobolevskyi, deputy chairman of the Kherson Regional Council, recently reported that Russia continues to export animals from Askania-Nova to its territory and the temporarily occupied Crimea.