UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Aug 5 — Over the past week, rescuers put out 147 fires in the Kharkiv region, including 16 caused by Russian shelling, reported the press service of the State Emergency Service in the Kharkiv region.

Kharkiv Oblast comes under massive Russian artillery shelling and airstrikes often, even more so since Russia launched a new ground offensive north and northeast of the region in the Vovchansk and Lyptsi directions in May. Officials report over 6,500 hectares of forest in the region catching fire or burning down due to Moscow troops’s attacks. 

According to firefighters, more than 75 hectares of land have been burned. They say that 14 out of 147 fires are forest fires.

“Dryland fires in the deoccupied territories or in areas where intense combat actions have happened can lead to the detonation of unexploded devices. This is extremely dangerous for life, including the lives of rescuers,” the statement said.

The State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine estimates that the Russian military invasion has damaged almost 30% of Ukraine’s forests. The Kharkiv region suffered damage to 40-45% of its forests. 

Read more

  • Russian military deliberately shells forests and forest stands in Kharkiv Oblast, particularly in Kupiansk and Vovchansk directions, said Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of the region, on Ukrainian TV on July 16.