UKRAINE, KHARKIV, Jun. 16 — On Jun. 15 at around 6:00 p.m., a Russian kamikaze drone hit the territory of the Kharkiv Zoo, killing 42 rabbits, injuring 15 others, the Kharkiv Region Prosecutor’s Office reported.

Authorities also confirmed that no people were injured or killed. 

Founded in 1895, Kharkiv Zoo is the oldest in Ukraine and one of the oldest in Europe. Before the 2022 invasion, it underwent a massive, multi-million-dollar modernization to meet contemporary European animal welfare standards. 

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, daily explosions and air alerts have subjected zoo animals to chronic acoustic trauma.  To prevent animals from being frightened by the explosions, staff plays the sounds of fountains, pumps, and the wild, explained Volodymyr Kovalskyi, the zoo’s deputy director, in 2022 to Suspilne Kharkiv, a local public media outlet. 

According to authorities, on Jun. 15, the Russian drone crashed between the administrative building, the elephant winter enclosure, and the Vivarium, which housed 150 rabbits, 250 guinea pigs, 700 rats, and 250 mice at the time of the strike. The blast also shattered windows and damaged the facade of the nearby elephant enclosure, triggering an acute stress reaction in the animals.

Gwara Media journalists attempted to access the Kharkiv zoo to document the strike on the animal enclosures, but local authorities hampered their efforts, restricting access to the site.

This is not the first time Russian troops have targeted animal facilities in the Kharkiv region. Since 2022, Russian troops have systematically attacked the Feldman Ecopark, a popular regional zoo and animal rehabilitation center, leaving it heavily damaged and killing over a hundred animals as well as several staff members who were attempting to evacuate animals from the Ecopark. The most recent attack on the facility occurred on Jan. 1, 2026.

Author: Yaroslava Pyvovar

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