The Russian looting of the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve constitutes part of a war crime, and the relevant court ruling sets an important precedent.
Hennadii Znakhorenko, Head of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor’s Office, said this in an interview with Ukrinform.
“This is one of the most significant environmental protection cases since the beginning of the full-scale war,” he emphasized.
Znakhorenko recalled that on April 6, 2026, the Velyka Oleksandrivka District Court of the Kherson region issued a trial in absentia against Dmytro Meshcheriakov, whom the occupation authorities had appointed as the “head” of the seized institution. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property for collaboration and violations of the laws and customs of war committed by a group of persons acting in prior collusion. The court also granted a claim for compensation of more than UAH 85 million in damages.
The investigation established that the convicted man, together with representatives of the occupation administration, organized the illegal removal of rare and endangered animal species to the Russian Federation and temporarily occupied Crimea.
