Press
Forest fires existed in Ukraine even before the war. But now they are forcing Putin’s troops on the Kherson front to flee – out of fear of losses.
Kiev – Forest fires have broken out in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine. Flames are also raging in other areas of the embattled country. Military operations in Ukraine War become even more complicated for both parties to the conflict.
Kherson has been a focal point of the conflict since the troops of the Russian President Wladimir Putin occupied the city in March 2022. Ukrainian forces have since been conducting counter-offensives to recapture the occupied territories. The region is strategically important in war due to its access to the Black Sea. In peacetime, it is known for its moderate continental climate with hot summers, which is ideal for agriculture, but at the same time favors forest fires.
The risk of forest fires is high in Ukraine – forests consist of “highly flammable pine trees”
Even before the outbreak of war, the Ukraine already plagued by forest fires. “18.5 percent of Ukraine’s territory is covered by forests, and almost a third of these forests consist of highly flammable pine trees,” says Johann Goldammer of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC). Between 2020 and 2022, a larger area burned in Ukraine than in any other EU-countries.
The main cause of fires is traditionally the burning of agricultural waste, which is illegal but widespread. This is the result of a report by Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa, an Italian think tank specializing in southeastern Europe. However, the war is making the problem even worse. Artillery and rocket launches in particular lead to forest fires, often unintentionally.
“The island is burning, our soldiers are on it” – Fires force troops to flee in the Ukraine war
New videos published on the short message service X show how such fires can affect the course of the war. One of the posts has now received over 100,000 views. It is signed with the caption “Kherson region Video of a ruzzian”. An inserted text reads “The island is burning, our soldiers are on it.”
It shows a group of soldiers fleeing an area engulfed in flames in a vehicle. Thick clouds of smoke rise from the branches in the background. One of the soldiers stands on the edge of a vehicle and waves. Two other soldiers then run towards the vehicle, away from the fire. The soldier standing on the edge of the vehicle pulls one soldier to safety and then does the same for another soldier. From inside the vehicle, you can see the fire blazing and devouring trees. By the end of the video, the smoke has thickened; there are no more flames, just an orange haze of smoke.
Russians “are being smoked out of their positions” – forest fires complicate the situation at the front
Another video, also by X, shows Russian soldiers running away from a densely forested area on the front line as trees around them go up in flames. The post is captioned: “Left bank situation of the Kherson region for the Russian forces. They are literally being smoked out of their positions.”
The footage of wildfires engulfing trenches highlights the harsh and volatile conditions on the front lines, and shows how such fires are further complicating military operations in Ukraine as forces on both sides must contend with the unpredictable and destructive nature of wildfires. (tpn)
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