Russia’s war is not only killing people — it’s devastating Ukraine’s natural world

The war unleashed by Russia has reached far beyond the battlefield, wreaking havoc on the wild. Once-protected landscapes — nature reserves and national parks — have become war zones. The thunder of artillery and missile strikes has scattered birds from the skies and driven forest animals into chaos. Fires and explosions have reduced once-thriving ecosystems to rubble. According to environmental experts, roughly 600 animal species and 750 plant and fungi species — many rare or endangered — are now under serious threat. Ukraine, once celebrated for its rich biodiversity, is losing its natural treasures in real time. Nearly 20% of its protected natural areas have been turned into combat zones — some likely beyond recovery.

The burned forests of Donbas: Serebrianskyi forest

 

One of the most tragic symbols of this war-driven ecocide is the Serebrianskyi Forest in the Luhansk region. Once called the “lungs of Donbas,” it was a green oasis amid coalfields — a thriving habitat for countless wild animals. Now, it is a blackened graveyard. After months of relentless fighting, most of the trees have burned to the ground, the earth is scarred by craters and covered in ash, and not a single unscathed sapling seems to remain. The surviving animals — roe deer, foxes, wild boars, hares — are disoriented and stunned by the nonstop shelling. They wander through trenches and debris, having lost their natural fear of humans and machines, a chilling indicator of trauma.

This forest, once alive with birdsong, has fallen eerily silent. The ecosystem is shattered — not just its plant life, but the shelters and food sources animals depended on. The destruction of such a large swath of woodland means a dramatic loss of biodiversity for the entire region.

Askaniya-Nova under occupation

Another devastating blow to Ukraine’s environment has been the occupation of the Askaniya-Nova Biosphere Reserve in Kherson Oblast. One of Europe’s oldest nature reserves, Askaniya-Nova is a rare, untouched steppe ecosystem — a sanctuary for endangered species and a living monument of biodiversity. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, it has fallen under Russian control.

Dozens of fires ignited by shelling and arson have scorched over 7,000 hectares of virgin steppe — a catastrophic loss. One of the largest blazes in 2023 destroyed part of the animal enclosures, leaving behind the charred remains of around 150 saiga antelopes — essentially the entire Ukrainian population of this critically endangered steppe species.

The constant roar of aircraft and explosions has driven animals into panic. Many tried to flee their enclosures, and a large number of hoofed species lost their offspring. Without experienced caretakers, the fragile balance of the ecosystem collapsed: animals scattered or died.

Russian trenches and heavy military equipment have scarred the land, destroying soil and fences. Worse still, the reserve has been looted — numerous animals were either taken to Crimea or killed on site. A legendary jewel of the Ukrainian steppe now lies burned and broken. The very future of the reserve hangs in the balance.

The Kakhovka dam destruction

The explosion of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in June 2023 triggered a large-scale environmental catastrophe. A sudden flood swept across the Dnipro valley, destroying villages and meadows, killing people and countless animals. When the waters receded, the vast Kakhovka Reservoir had vanished, transformed into a dry wasteland strewn with millions of dead fish.

Along with the fish, nearly all aquatic life perished. Dozens of species lost their habitats, and it will take years—if not decades—for populations to recover. Flooding destroyed nesting colonies of waterbirds, while polluted waters poisoned the environment. Oil, chemicals, and sewage poured into the Dnipro River and ultimately the Black Sea. This catastrophe is already being called the worst environmental disaster in Europe since Chernobyl.

On the verge of extinction

Russia’s war against Ukraine has already led to the collapse of entire wildlife populations and pushed many species to the brink of extinction. In Askania-Nova, a single strike killed 150 saiga antelopes—nearly the entire local population. The once-thriving Serebrianskyi Forest was wiped off the map, taking with it the last refuge for many endangered species that now have nowhere else to survive.

Even after the fighting terminates, the land remains deadly. Unexploded shells and minefields continue to kill indiscriminately, turning fields and forests into long-term death traps.

For many endemic species, the threat of extinction is closer than ever. The sandy blind mole rat—a rare subterranean rodent found only in southern Ukraine—now digs its tunnels between trenches and shell craters. Its only habitat lies directly along the front line, carved up by war. Without urgent protection, it could vanish entirely. Steppe birds like cranes and bustards also struggle to survive. They can not nest amid constant shelling, and their already fragile populations are teetering on the edge of collapse. At the same time, many nature reserves remain cut off by the fighting, halting conservation work and environmental monitoring. In this vacuum, poachers and occupying forces exploit wildlife unchecked, for sport or for profit.

Russia’s war on Ukraine is also a war on life itself. Centuries-old ecosystems are being obliterated by bombardments and fire. Wild animals — from the mighty bison to the tiniest insect — suffer silently alongside people. But nature’s destruction isn’t contained to the battlefield; it strikes back at us all. Collapsing ecosystems threaten food security, public health, and climate stability. Perhaps most devastating is the quiet disappearance of species — each one irreplaceable, each one lost forever. 

If the destruction continues, Ukraine may emerge from this war to find its forests burned, its rivers dead, and its steppes eerily silent. The country’s unique biodiversity, shaped over millennia, cannot be restored with money or effort once it is gone. 

The toll on wildlife is no less severe than the human cost. The scars left on Ukraine’s ecosystems will endure for generations, and some innocent species may become permanent casualties — silent victims of a vast and unfolding tragedy. This is why Ukraine is fighting not only for its land and its liberty, but for the right to life itself — for all that breathes, flies, crawls, and runs through its steppes and forests. Every forest set ablaze, every drained lake, every killed stork is a testament to the brutality this war has unleashed.

 

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Created with the support of the Association of Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine and Amediastiftelsen as part of the Regional Media Support Hub project. The authors’ views do not necessarily coincide with the official position of the partners.

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