Dvurechansky National Natural Park is located in the north-eastern part of the Kharkiv region, in the Oskol river valley. Its peculiarity is the chalk hills stretching across the entire territory.
The northern limit of the park passes the state border with Russia. Consequently, during the full-scale invasion of the Russian troops, it fell under occupation from the first days. During September, when the Ukrainian military drove the Russians out of the Kharkiv region, they also liberated the territory of the park.
We talked with Vladimir Kletenkin, head of the scientific department of NPP Dvurechansky, about what the last 7 months have been like for the park and employees. Even during the occupation, scientists continued to work.
The chronicle must be written
Nature continues to live even despite the shelling and occupation. Consequently, scientists also work further: they observe, analyze, fix processes – they continuously write its chronicle.
Therefore, while the scientific department was in the park, the employees worked. Vladimir says that, when leaving for the territory of the park, he and his colleague already knew what time the columns were going, where the patrols and roadblocks were. , like hares, so as not to arouse suspicion and desire to press the trigger, shoot from a machine gun or launch a rocket, – recalls Vladimir.
Knowing that the Russians could chase people from the sky with helicopters, the scientists tried to stay out of their sight. We worked in the field, carried out phenological observations – an analysis of natural phenomena associated with seasonal changes in climatic conditions.
“We were at work, received a salary, then we collected field material on entomology (the science that studies insects – channel 24 ). My colleague also knows botany well, so he also conducted botanical research. The chronicle should be, albeit in a truncated “form”, – said the head of the scientific department.
Pay attention!The full-scale war affected 20% of Ukrainian protected areas in Ukraine. The Wownature project has become the voice of wildlife rescue. It was created with the support of the Ministry of Environmental Protection on natural resources.
The park borders on the Russian border/Wikipedia screenshot
How the park staff survived the occupation
Now there are no researchers on the territory of the park: in some places hostilities continue, the lands are mined. During the course of the occupation, some workers remained in place; the scientific department, headed by Vladimir, together with the management, the financial and economic department, and inspectors were evacuated in mid-September, when the shelling began.
Volunteers helped the scientists to leave. Currently, one employee of the park is in the village of Dvurechnaya, and several more people may be in the occupied territory on the left bank of the Oskol River.
During the occupation, workers decided to appear less often in the office in order to avoid the Russians. Work issues were resolved by phone, while there was a connection, then they went to each other on bicycles.
For the first months, the occupiers did not have anything to do with the park. When they formed a collaborating power, their hands reached him: they demanded constituent documents. At that moment, some of the employees were evacuated, so the park said that people took their documents with them. Vladimir recalls:
“Then they (the Russians – Channel 24) were very busy with education, law enforcement agencies, they said that it was not the right time, the park would wait. Thank God, it didn't come to that,” he added interlocutor.
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The territory has been de-occupied, but dangerous
The loss of the park is not counted now: it is too early and dangerous. In the first month after the occupation, the Russians took away the service car park, hunted game, and in September destroyed the administration building.
Scientists did not record any damage in the park, in particular, in the Oskol River valley and on the chalk slopes. However, they did not manage to go around the entire territory of the park:
- firstly, the Russians forbade visiting the forests;
- secondly, the territory above Kamenka was extremely dangerous due to the accumulation of invaders – after all, it is only 10 kilometers to the Russian border from there.
Before the start of hostilities, the scientific department worked at your own risk. We walked where it was safe, and along the paths that were trodden by fearless fishermen, – the scientist noted.
The settlements close to the park – Kamenka, Dvurechnaya – were badly affected by air raids and artillery strikes. What is the situation there now is known from isolated reports: the connection is still unstable.
People were evacuated en masse due to constant shelling; outside the settlements, the danger is even greater, which means that it is difficult to imagine the state of affairs in the park. Moreover, there is no talk of surveying the territory in the near future either.
Fortunately, Volodymyr and most of his colleagues managed to travel to the territory controlled by Ukraine. We hope that the damage caused to the park can be quickly corrected. We believe in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and are waiting for good news from the front!
Author: Anastasia Serikova
