A 2,400-hectare forest fire is raging along the northern border with Russia. Firefighting efforts are impossible due to shelling.

A 2,400-hectare forest fire is raging along the northern border with Russia. Firefighting efforts are impossible due to shelling. Скріншот відео ДП "Ліси України"
Maria Semenova

Forestry equipment must operate under electronic warfare cover to avoid being struck by enemy drones

In the Chernihiv region, due to shelling by Russia, fire is destroying 2,400 hectares within the Yelyn and Tykhonovychi forestry units of the Koriukivka Forest Division, State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine". Because of the security situation, foresters are unable to extinguish the fire, managing only to contain it in areas further from the enemy.

This was reported by the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine".

“All the enterprise's new firefighting equipment has been mobilized. However, we currently cannot fully deploy it, since hostile UAVs are constantly in the air,” the state enterprise emphasized.

Due to enemy threats, Ukrainian foresters do not have access to a five-kilometer strip along the border. It is in this area where the massive wildfire broke out.

The fire was detected thanks to the forestry’s video surveillance systems, but extinguishing it is impossible because of the threat to the lives of the staff.

Restrict where possible

Currently, the foresters have deployed all available resources to block the spread of the fire in accessible territory, in part to protect frontline settlements. "Forests of Ukraine" assure that additional mineralized belts are being created.

The enterprise’s tractors are forced to operate under the protection of EW (electronic warfare) systems due to the risk of enemy strikes against the equipment.

For reference, only on the morning of May 7 was it reported that a large-scale wildfire had been localized in the Mukachevo district of Zakarpattia. There, 75 hectares of forests were burning.

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