The shelling caused a large-scale forest fire in the Danube Nature Reserve

A fire broke out in a pine forest within the Danube Biosphere Reserve after debris from a downed unmanned aerial vehicle fell to the ground. Thirteen hectares of forest were destroyed.

This was reported by the State Environmental Inspection of the Southwestern District.

As a result of the large-scale fire, nearly 10 metric tons of combustion products were released into the atmosphere, of which more than 9 metric tons were carbon dioxide (CO₂). The environmental damage exceeds 21.5 million hryvnias.

Earlier, Russian attacks had intensified a fire in the irrigation fields, the smoke from which blanketed Odesa and the Odesa region. Due to the shelling, the fire spread to a much larger area, complicating efforts to extinguish it.

In July, Russian shelling sparked fires in the “Askania-Nova” Biosphere Reserve. Approximately 10,800 trees and other plants were destroyed there.

The fire also engulfed 139.42 hectares of agricultural land, 990 square meters of privately and municipally owned property, as well as 1,706.9 hectares of forests and otherplantationswithin the nature reserve fund.

According to an analysis of Sentinel-2 satellite images from June 24 and 29, 2026, the area of burned land in the “Pivdennyi” protected zone of the “Askania-Nova” Nature Reserve totaled 1,928 hectares. In addition, the fire that broke out on June 29 spread to agricultural land in the buffer zone, where another 566.6 hectares were burned.

Юлія Калабайда