Natalia Pryprosta was feeding her pigs in the village of Studenok, near Izium in eastern Ukraine, when fire suddenly swept in. With no time to spare, she grabbed her documents, helped her elderly mother into a friend’s car, and tried to free the animals from their shed. But thick smoke and the fire’s rapid spread made it impossible. She didn’t witness the animals perish but found out later they had died in the flames.
Smoke choked Studenok, turning day into night. Neighbors fought the fire with shovels, digging trenches in the scorched earth to halt the advancing flames. Firefighters arrived, but the blaze was unstoppable, at one point surrounding their truck and trapping the crew.
Mines and unexploded shells, left behind since the Russian occupation and the area’s liberation in 2022, began exploding in the intense heat. Each blast fueled the fire further, hurling burning debris, branches, and embers across the village. Trees caught fire, and pieces of wood were thrown as far as 700–800 meters, according to Serhii Kohan, the village leader.
It wasn’t until around 9 p.m., when the wind changed and explosions eased, that fire crews could move in and start battling the blaze. Pryprosta and other villagers had taken shelter in a nearby settlement. When they returned, they found many homes destroyed, along with charred trees and twisted ruins—another mark of devastation in a village already scarred by war.
This year, the highest number of fires in Ukrainian-controlled territory have been in the forests around Izium in Kharkiv province, where Studenok is located. In the first eight months of 2025, Kharkiv accounted for 60% of all forest fires. The fire that hit Studenok started in a national park forest about 14 miles away and raced north, burning 6,000 hectares.
Wildfires are becoming more common in a warming world, but the scale in Ukraine is exceptional, far exceeding anything seen elsewhere in Europe. In 2024, nearly a million hectares burned in Ukraine—more than double the area burned across the entire EU during the same period.
According to Serhii Skoryk, director of Kamianska Sich National Park, “About half the time we’re fighting a fire, a drone approaches our fire truck and we have to neutralize it.”
Analysis by the Guardian and Kyiv Independent, using satellite images, monitoring data, and local accounts, directly links the destruction of Ukraine’s forests to the Russian invasion. Fires have spread along the war’s frontline, concentrated in eastern regions where most fighting occurs.
Unlike the vast, slow-burning fires in Canada and Siberia, Ukraine’s fires are numerous, small, and frequent, often ignited by explosions. A third of the burned area in 2024 was abandoned farmland turning into grassland or young forest. Hot, dry conditions turned the frontline into a tinderbox, where blasts sparked larger fires that couldn’t be safely controlled due to landmines.
James MacCarthy of Global Forest Watch notes that 2024 was one of the worst fire years on record for Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia. “In Donetsk alone, tree cover loss from fire was over 40 times the long-term average. Years of conflict, forest degradation, and extreme heat have made these areas highly flammable.”
Exploding mines continue to help spread fires in areas like the Sviati Hory National Park.In a national park, rescue workers are facing threats beyond the flames. As they battle wildfires, they report being targeted by Russian drones.
“Drones are constantly flying overhead,” explains Serhii Skoryk, director of Kamianska Sich National Park. “While some of us fight the fire, two others stand guard with rifles to protect the truck from drone attacks.”
Park staff have taken on firefighting duties because the state emergency service deems the area too hazardous. Initially, they equipped fire trucks with electronic jammers to disrupt drone signals, but these proved ineffective against newer drone models. Now, they rely on borrowed hunting rifles for defense.
Skoryk notes that about half the time they’re fighting a fire, a drone approaches their truck and they must disable it.
Ecologist Kateryna Polianska observes that war impacts nature in complex ways, with every part of the ecosystem suffering. Some changes can be reversed, but others may be permanent.
Russian military social media posts clearly show marked fire trucks and personnel under attack. These often follow a “double-tap” pattern: an initial explosion starts a fire, and the same location is struck again after rescue crews arrive. One Russian drone unit in Kherson regularly shares first-person attack footage on Telegram. In one instance, a drone hit a gas station, causing a fire, and when a fire truck responded, a second “suicide” drone crashed into it. The Guardian and Kyiv Independent verified these videos with photos from Ukraine’s emergency service showing the damaged truck.
On July 6, 2025, Russian forces executed a double-tap strike in Kherson, targeting a gas station and then the responding fire truck.
While damage and fires are common in war, intentionally attacking rescue workers or causing environmental destruction constitutes a war crime under international law. The Russian government has not commented on these allegations.
Ukraine has become one of the world’s most heavily mined countries, further complicating rescue efforts.
Prosecutors across Ukraine are investigating whether attacks deliberately target natural resources. Experts note that forests, which provide cover from drones, have become intentional targets for fires.
“There are no accidental shellings; every strike is a deliberate military action,” states Vitaliy Nikitin, deputy head of the Kherson regional prosecutor’s office. He confirms that all shelling harming natural resources is being documented.
These cases are challenging to investigate due to inaccessible sites in combat zones, mined areas, or Russian-occupied territories. Proving that specific Russian personnel intentionally started fires or targeted emergency services is particularly difficult.
Anhelina Hrytsei of Truth Hounds reports that attacks on rescue workers increased in 2024 and 2025. The precision of weapons, lack of nearby military targets, and repeated double-tap tactics suggest deliberate targeting.
She adds that when small drones with cameras are used to attack clearly marked rescue workers, it indicates at least awareness, if not intent, behind the attacks.Inability to stop the damage.
A fire rages in Odessa in July 2024, with efforts underway to extinguish it. Photo credit: Larina Elena/Alamy
Agriculture at Risk
The largest forest fires often break out close to active fighting, where the ground is littered with various explosives. Landmines and unexploded bombs from occupation or failed blasts can catch fire in high temperatures, fueling the flames and making firefighting extremely perilous.
Russian troops also deploy remote mining, scattering anti-personnel “petal” mines via drones.
Skoryk recounts, “We cleared an 8-hectare area near a road of mines, and within days, petal mines were scattered there again.” In hot, dry summers, such ammunition can heat up and explode on its own.
These explosives also hinder firefighting efforts. In the frontline Izium Forestry, where about 90% of the land is still mined, bomb disposal teams must check the area before firefighters can start their work.
Ukraine has become one of the most heavily mined countries globally, with over 2 million mines laid. Experts warn that the land will struggle to recover quickly.
A chart illustrates that a third of the land burned in Ukraine in 2024 was agricultural.
Peter Potapov from the World Resource Institute’s Food, Forests and Water programme notes, “Mines and unexploded ordnance in frontline forests will hinder recovery and reforestation for a long time.” He explains that many forests were intentionally planted and managed alongside farms to reduce wind, retain snow, and control water flow. “Losing these forests could lower agricultural productivity across the region,” he adds.
At Sviati Hory national park, workers dig firebreaks to control the flames. Photo credit: Thomas Peter/Reuters
Biodiversity in Ruins
Scientists warn that the massive, intense fires could have lasting impacts on Ukraine’s biodiversity. Ecologist Kateryna Polianska states, “War affects nature in complex ways—every part of the ecosystem suffers. Some changes can be reversed, but others may never fully recover.”
In 2024, Polianska visited war-damaged areas including Sviati Hory national park and the Kreidova Flora reserve. There, ancient chalk slopes, formed millions of years ago, were destroyed by shelling. “We can’t rebuild or restore them,” she says.
These slopes once protected rare chalk pine forests, a habitat now endangered. Today, many forests are burned, shattered, or bare. Polianska cautions that climate change complicates recovery: “It could take 70 or 80 years to see a similar forest—if it ever comes back.”
A chart shows that 2024 weather conditions in Ukraine increased the risk of wildfires.
For Skoryk, the devastation is personal. The director of Kamianska Sich national park lost his home to Russian occupation in 2022 and now lives in a basement on the park grounds. Despite the challenges, he refuses to leave.
“This park is my child; I’ve been its only director since it was founded,” Skoryk says. To him, it’s a lifelong project, safeguarding rare species and fragile ecosystems even under constant threat.
Shelling frequently ignites fires in the park, endangering what remains. After attacks, craters contain dangerous levels of heavy metals and toxins from explosives. Skoryk and his staff, trained in mine clearance, continue to demine parts of the park between fires and after studying marked craters for data and samples.
“If not us, who?” he asks.
This article is a joint effort by the Kyiv Independent and the Guardian’s Age of Extinction and Ukraine in Depth reporting projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about whether wildfires in Ukraine are being intentionally set by Russia with clear and direct answers
Basic Questions
1 Is Russia really starting wildfires in Ukraine on purpose
Yes there is strong evidence that Russian forces have intentionally started wildfires in Ukraine as a tactic of war This has been documented by Ukrainian authorities opensource investigators and international observers
2 Why would Russia do this Whats the point
The main reasons are military and psychological
Military Tactics To create smoke screens to hide troop movements expose Ukrainian positions destroy supply routes and damage agricultural land that supports Ukraines economy
Ecological Terrorism To cause longterm environmental damage and create a humanitarian crisis by polluting the air and destroying ecosystems
Psychological Pressure To terrorize the civilian population and stretch Ukrainian emergency resources thin
3 Where have these fires happened
Intentional fires have been reported in various regions but they are most common in occupied territories like parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and in areas near the front lines including in forested and agricultural zones
4 How do they start the fires
Methods include artillery shelling with incendiary munitions launching flares into dry fields or forests and in some cases arson by sabotage groups
Deeper Questions
5 What is fire terrorism or ecocide
Fire Terrorism Using fire as a weapon to inflict damage cause fear and achieve military or political goals
Ecocide A proposed international crime referring to the severe and widespread destruction of the natural environment Many argue Russias actions in Ukraine including intentional wildfires qualify as ecocide
6 Isnt it just a natural side effect of fighting in a dry summer
While combat can accidentally spark fires the pattern timing and location of many fires suggest they are deliberate For example fires often start simultaneously in strategic locations just before a military advance which is unlikely to be a coincidence
7 What are the longterm consequences of these fires
The consequences are severe and include
Environmental Loss of biodiversity destruction of forests that are vital for clean air and water and soil degradation
Economic Billions of dollars in damage to agriculture and timber industries
