Eco-activists from the "Ukrainian Environmental Protection Group" criticized the Kyiv City Council's intention to build a National Memorial Military Cemetery on the protected territory, namely in the Lysa Gora tract in the Holosiiv district.
They called such an initiative one of the biggest speculations on the topic of war, UPG reports on Facebook.
The draft decision of the memorial complex was published on the website of the city council on October 3, 2022.
Eco-activists emphasized that the commemoration of heroes-defenders is an urgent problem, but it is impossible to turn the protected territory into a place of burials.
They explained that the majority of the Lysa Gora tract is represented by steep slopes, on which even 400-year-old oaks have survived. Of which 3 trees received the individual status of the nature reserve fund − Totleben oak, Opolchensky oak and Vidun oak. Also, a separate territory of the nature reserve fund is the "Natural channel of the Lybid River" at the foot of Lysa Gora.
More than 30 rare Red Book species of plants and animals can be found on Lysia Gora, and the most valuable is the vegetation of meadow-steppe areas and eastern slopes. In addition, part of the territory has an exceptional historical value − it is the location of the Lysohirsky Fort, which belongs to the "Kyiv Fortress" Museum.
In the message, it was noted that in 1994, the Lysa Gora regional landscape park was declared, because the territory is a valuable natural and recreational object.
Ecoactivists emphasized that Lysa Gora is:
- the territory of the nature reserve fund and according to the Regulation on it is prohibited here: any construction, change of boundaries, damage to trees and shrubs, grass cover, passage of all types of transport, violation of landforms and any other activity that may harm natural complexes of the territory. Violation of the regime of the territory established by law entails responsibility in accordance with Article 252 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
- a territory of archaeological value (both as a fort and as the location of ancient fortifications and temples from the time of Kyivan Rus), the damage of which carries responsibility in accordance with Article 298 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
- a unique landscape area where you can see the natural slopes of the Dnipro with centuries-old forest;
- a territory with a very complex topography and steep slopes on which erosion processes continue.
They also pointed out the risks of development of Lysa Gora if it loses its protected status.
"We have serious doubts about the legality of the actions of the initiators of the Kyiv City Council's decision," ecoactivists emphasized.
Eco-activists also believe that the draft decision does not comply with the law, because:
- the fact that the entire territory belongs to the nature reserve fund is ignored. The organization of any object is an offense of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
They explained that it is necessary to take into account the natural and territorial features of this park. After all, the majority of the area is represented by steep slopes, on which rapid eroding processes take place. Any construction is an additional load on the relief of the park, as a result of which there will be a landslide and the destruction of both the relief itself and the building.
"For a worthy commemoration of the fallen soldiers, it is necessary, first of all, to choose a territory of a mostly flat nature, which will prevent the risks of landslides and the destruction of the memorial complex," ecoactivists noted.
- the place for the memorial should be located within the limits of transport accessibility for all those who want to honor the memory of the heroes.
"You cannot honor the fallen by destroying what they defended! It is the natural, historical and archaeological heritage, and not only the state borders, that is Ukraine, the preservation of its monuments is the meaning of the protection of Ukraine", they stressed.
The report emphasized that the slopes have a steepness of 60 degrees. And the only flat place where, at least theoretically, burials can be arranged is a valuable steppe plot on the western slopes of the mountain with a total area of 11 hectares, on which there are two species of red-listed plants.
Eco-activists appealed to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Prosecutor General's Office with a request to stop the adoption of this decision.
As EcoPolitic reported before, Commercial court of Kyiv region returned 267 valuable forests to the state reserve of national significance "Urochyshche Unava" and Bilotserkiv forest farm.
