Russian troops have set up a mortar firing range on the territory of the Pryazovskyi National Nature Park.
That is according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), Ukrinform reports.
The HUR said that "the aggressor state of Russia is establishing so-called 'environmental protection institutions' in the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson regions."
"The operation of these pseudo-institutions is aimed at strengthening occupation control over the seized hectares of protected land and Ukraine's natural resources," the intelligence agency said.
At the same time, it noted that "the Russian occupation army continues to destroy Ukrainian ecosystems and protected areas, turning them into zones of combat operations, military fortifications and catastrophic pollution."
"The predatory actions of Russian occupiers against Ukraine's environment are causing losses worth billions of dollars and bear the hallmarks of war crimes," the statement said.
According to the HUR, "dozens of Ukraine's protected natural areas are located in active combat zones or under Russian occupation." "Their ecosystems are suffering enormous damage as a result of the war launched by Moscow. These include Askania-Nova, Meotyda, Pryazovskyi National Nature Park, the Kinburn Spit, Sviati Hory, the Kreminna Forests and others."
The war and occupation of Ukrainian territory are causing soil degradation, fires, fuel pollution and damage to natural habitats through landmines, trenches and the movement of heavy military equipment.
Military vehicles compact the soil, damage plant root systems and disrupt natural drainage. Fuel, lubricants and ammunition residues pose serious chemical risks to soil and water resources. Fires destroy vegetation, animal breeding grounds and food sources.
At Meotyda National Nature Park, military fortifications built by Russian occupiers have destroyed bird nesting sites.
"Outdated multipurpose tankers, including those belonging to the aggressor state's so-called shadow fleet, pose enormous risks to marine ecosystems. These are just some examples of the ecocide committed by the occupiers, both in Ukraine's occupied territories and on a global scale," the HUR said.
It stressed that protected areas in southern Ukraine had been among the hardest hit by Russia's war and occupation.
According to the State Environmental Inspectorate of the Southern District, damage to protected sites in the Kherson region alone was estimated at more than UAH 1.2 trillion (approximately $28 billion) as of October 2026.
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The HUR noted that international humanitarian law places restrictions on damage to the natural environment during armed conflicts. Articles 35 and 55 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions require the protection of the environment against widespread, long-term and severe damage. The Rome Statute recognizes as a war crime an attack that knowingly causes such damage.
"Occupation does not release Russia from its obligations under international law. At the same time, the creation of institutions controlled by Moscow does not undo the damage already inflicted on Ukraine's environment, nor does it in any way guarantee protection of natural areas from further destruction," the intelligence agency said.
"While the Kremlin expands its illegal bureaucracy to consolidate control over occupied territories and continues military operations, Ukraine's natural environment continues to suffer the consequences of the war, from the large-scale destruction of vegetation and animal habitats to soil and water pollution," the HUR added.
According to the military intelligence agency, restoring the country's ecosystems could take decades of work and effort, and some of the damage caused by Russia is irreversible.
"The full extent of the damage can only be established after the de-occupation of Ukraine's temporarily seized territories and the restoration of access to them for proper environmental assessments, enabling a comprehensive evaluation of the losses caused by Russia and the bringing of the aggressor to justice," the HUR said.
Photo: HUR