The UAnimals team received photos from a member of the volunteer community, which show Russian military personnel in the occupied part of Kherson region proudly displaying killed animals.
Vitaliy Smagol, a scientific researcher at the Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, identified among the killed animals a male noble deer. Prior to the full-scale invasion, herds of these animals inhabited the Askania-Nova Nature Reserve and the Azov-Syvash National Nature Park. It was also identified that a gray hare and a common pheasant were shot in two other photos.
During the all-out war, approximately 20% of protected areas in Ukraine were affected by the hostilities. Due to the occupation, it is impossible to estimate the number of animals that perished.
As part of the #StopEcocideUkraine campaign, UAnimals are urging the governments of European countries to hold Russia accountable for its crimes against nature!
