KHARKIV OBLAST, UKRAINE, May 8 — On May 7, three forest fires broke out in the Kupiansk district due to the Russian shelling. All of them occurred in Kurylivka community’s forestries, reported the State Emergency Service in the Kharkiv Oblast.

In particular, near Hlushkivka in the Kharkiv region, a fire spread through 20 hectares of forest. In the village of Novoosynove, 10 hectares of the forest floor were burning, and four hectares were burning in Podoly. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire. There were no casualties or injuries.

Russians shelled Kupiansk district / Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region
Russians shelled Kupiansk district / Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region
Russians shelled Kupiansk district / Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region

According to an investigation by NGL.media, due to the hostilities, about 40-45% of the Kharkiv region’s forests are currently mined or damaged by fires.

The Kupiansk Forestry resumed operations in October 2022, but the extent of the destroyed forests has not yet been assessed due to the mined areas, says Oleksandr Rybka, its chief forester. 

The State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine estimates that the Russian military invasion has damaged almost 30% of Ukraine’s forests. An analysis of satellite images by NGL.media journalists shows that over the two years of full-scale war, Russians have destroyed more than 60,000 hectares of forests in the occupied territories. The minimum estimate of the value of the lost forest exceeds $359 million. This is only direct damage from the loss of timber, not including other consequences of the hostilities, which can cost much more to eliminate.

In total, as reported by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, the Russian Federation caused environmental damage to Ukraine’s nature worth about $63 billion over the two years of the full-scale invasion. Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv Oblasts suffered the most due to the war with Russia.

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  • On the evening of May 1, Russian artillery shelling caused a dry coniferous forest to catch fire on the outskirts of Novoosynove village in the Kurylivka community, reported the press service of the State Emergency Service in Kharkiv region.