Voices Of Askania: Steppe Lost

We continue our series of publications about the material factors of communication that determine the dynamics of the meaning of social changes that have manifested themselves under the influence of ecocide. This time, we are sharing an interview with young people from Askania-Nova, Mykola and Maryna, who were born and spent their entire childhood near the reserve. They shared their ‘landscapes’ of life, which they cannot return to because of the russian occupation. This interview was recorded for the newspaper ‘Ecological Identity: How the Environment Shapes Personality’ as part of the Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen.

The Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve, located in the very south of Ukraine in the Kherson region, was founded by Friedrich Falz-Fein in 1898. The reserve was one of the first in Ukraine to receive a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve certificate, which recognises its role in worldwide wildlife conservation.

The founder of Askania-Nova and Kharkiv botanist Professor Valerii Taliev were both leading scientists of their time. They developed a system of categories of protected areas, designed a network of future reserves for the entire russian Empire, and drafted legislation in the field of nature conservation.

The approaches to describing the system were borrowed and adapted from nature conservation organizations in Germany, established in 1906 by Professor H. Konstanz. 

The first Ukrainian book devoted to nature conservation was a 1914 work by Valerii Taliev.

In January 1918, a department for the protection of natural monuments was organized at the Ministry of Agriculture of the Ukrainian People’s Republic. On April 3, 1918, a public commission for nature protection was established. That same year, Mykola Sharleman, a prominent zoologist and conservationist, published the first Ukrainian-language brochure on nature conservation ‘Protect Your Native Nature’ in Kharkiv, which later led to the author’s repression.

In 1919, Ukrainian zoologist and ecologist Heorhii Bryzghalin wrote: “… small plots of good old forests and virgin uncultivated steppes which are now of great value to science have been preserved by chance. The total size of such plots is as insignificant as a drop in the ocean in terms of land use, and their allocation from general land use would be completely invisible to the state….

These “monuments” are needed not only for scientific purposes: they should be dear to the whole nation, to everyone, as memories of the distant past in which our grandparents lived and the history and culture of each country were formed. They should serve as a natural living museum in the open air for the education of younger generations and mental relaxation.”

In the 1940s, Glavlit (the Main Administration for Literary and Publishing Affairs, a state administration body of the Soviet occupation authorities that censored printed works and protected state secrets in the media from 1922 to 1991) banned many books on environmental issues by prominent Ukrainian environmental scientists from being published in libraries. Among the first to be blacklisted were books by G. Bryzghalin, M. Sharleman, and M. Beyer.

As part of our research on the preparations for the Summit, we contacted Oleksii Vasyliuk, an ecologist, zoologist, and co-founder of the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group NGO, to get professional and up-to-date information on the current state of the reserve and its uniqueness. Oleksii notes that the greatest value of Askania-Nova is the wild steppe as this area is currently the largest uncultivated virgin land in the whole of Ukraine. In the past, the steppes covered about 40% of the area of modern Ukraine but today no more than 3% of the former steppe areas remain (and according to some new data, less than 1%). Many rare species of plants and animals that once inhabited the steppes are now on the verge of extinction. Every third species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine, as well as every third species protected in Ukraine under international law, are species of steppe ecosystems.

The Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group has also compiled a list of 20 plants that may disappear as a result of russia’s war in Ukraine. Mostly these are steppe species whose localities are concentrated in the temporarily occupied territories. Among them:

Stipa donetzica, Stipa fallacina, Stipa maeotica, Achillea glaberrima, Centaurea appendicata, Centaurea breviceps, Centaurea donetzica, Centaurea margaritacea, Centaurea margarita-аlba, Centaurea paczoskii, Centaurea protomargaritacea, Centaurea pseudoleucolepis, Tragopogon donetzicus, Lepidium syvaschicum, Astragalus borysthenicus, Erodium beketowii, Phlomis scythica, Thymus kaljmijussicus, Rhinanthus cretaceus and Scrophularia granitica.

Photo: the Red Data Book of Ukraine

The destruction of biodiversity leads to our poorer emotional experience of the aesthetic. It is the awareness of beauty in its fullness that motivates us to grow and evolve as conscious beings with intellect, capable of comprehending beauty in its complex diversity and perceiving it as an integral part of identity formation, which, in turn, becomes the foundation of our resilience. This is why it is essential to document the impact of ecocide and the destruction of natural landscapes on our mental landscapes and to engage in discussions about the future of these territories—both literal and symbolic.

An example of such action could be the artifacts developed as part of our research into Ukraine’s occupied protected natural areas, conducted by our civic organization within the framework of the Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen. Through the digitalized landscapes of Askania-Nova and the visualization of the Taliev’s cornflower (Centaurea taliewii)—one of the species endangered due to the occupation of this territory—the issue of ecocide is brought to light and made tangible in a format adapted to the realities of modern communication.

Such documentation enables viewers to draw a logical connection between the digital representation and the actual destruction of these unique territories and species—an issue that often remains outside the public’s focus but, at the Summit, comes into the spotlight of the international community. Security guarantees must directly address the preservation of biodiversity as a cornerstone of resilience, both for the state and the individual on a micro scale, and for the planet as a whole on a macro scale.

In the 20th century, the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve survived two world wars. Today, since 2022, Askania-Nova remains on the temporarily occupied territory. Before the full-scale invasion, the reserve was a testament to the fact that humans can not only destroy but also preserve. And all this time, in the heart of Askania, there were people present, not only metaphorically but also physically—literally in the village of Askania-Nova surrounded by the protected, buffer and transit-protected zones.

This interview is a temporarily displaced landscape of the personal

Mykola (27 y.o.) and Maryna (24 y.o.) Kravets are a couple from Askania. Their voices form two components of a single narrative—just like the name of the biosphere reserve, this story combines two parts.

The Environment That Shapes Personality

[Mykola]  Every time I meet people and say that I am from Askania-Nova, I see sincere bewilderment in their eyes. “People always ask me: really, straight from the reserve? I joke and say, ‘Yes, and we even had camels as our neighbors’.”

[Maryna] At one time, the reserve was a fairly popular tourist destination—we had excursions all the time. When I was a child, my grandmother and I used to love to go and look at the visitors’ cars, and I would try to guess what brand it was and what region it was by the license plates.

The reserve provided a lot of jobs. We had a lot of children working in the zoo, in the dendrological park, and many people were giving tours. There were many guides in every classroom. It was one of the first ways for youth to earn money. I tried it once but I am quite far from biology.

[Mykola] I even worked as a guide in the reserve. Being a schoolboy, I conducted excursions for school children just like me, from different regions of Ukraine. This helped me to better understand the place I grew up in and learn to appreciate it.

You live in this environment and don’t even realize how interesting it is. And since I started giving tours, I have rethought the place where I was born. Over time, I realized that I was lucky to see this beauty every day. I could touch it, observe it. Often when you have something, you don’t appreciate it or don’t pay attention to it. And the fact that I started conducting tours helped me to understand this value while I was still there. Even before I lost Askania.

[Maryna] We were actually very proud of the place where we were born, where we live. There is always a sense of pride when you mention that you are from Askania. Everyone always knows what it is. When we were growing up, we were quite friendly and saw ourselves as a community. There are moments when you realize that these are the only people who will understand you.

It is a truly unique place. And we should be proud that it is located on the territory of Ukraine and do everything we can to ensure that people do not forget about Askania. Not only in Ukraine but also abroad. Because it is truly a Ukrainian miracle.

[Mykola] I would definitely say that a person is shaped by the environment where they live.

Because there were many rare animals in the reserve, I came to believe that every place on Earth is unique. I learned to value life—all life.

Maryna and Mykola in Askania-Nova before its occupation interacting with the animals of the reserve / Photo: personal archive of Maryna and Mykola

Now it is more painful because I cannot return. Whatever beautiful places I visit, I always compare them to Askania in my mind. It is my kind of mental anchor.

[Maryna] For me, probably the steppe and plains are the safest places to be. I think that, in general, Askania-Nova is an emotional relief, a refuge, a sense of calm. When I was growing up, there was always nature around me—I could go to the park every day but now I realize that I didn’t do it enough.

If I could go back, I would go there more often.

The War That Disrupts Personality

Russian occupation forces seized the reserve on the first day of the full-scale invasion. As Askania-Nova is located very close to the isthmus connecting the Crimean peninsula—one of the main routes for the occupiers’ advance—it was quickly taken. However, according to Oleksii Vasyliuk, thanks to the support of philanthropists and thousands of volunteers, the reserve managed to survive the first year of occupation and prepare for a long existence without state support. For almost the entire first year of the war, it became the only place in the occupied territories of our country that could rightfully be called an “island of Ukraine.” For a year, the reserve’s employees continued to work with the Ukrainian flag flying high.

Since March 2023, the occupiers have seized control of the reserve’s administration. Now, we can only hope that its territory remains minimally damaged until it is liberated.

[Maryna] In the first weeks of February, when the full-scale invasion began, my main hope was that it would be over very quickly and we would go home. Of course, over time, as you get more immersed in reality, you realize how difficult these extraordinary efforts to regain territory are.

Winter pavilions for animals in the reserve which metaphorically refer to the fact of occupation / Photo: Iryna Hladchenko

[Mykola] For me, February 24 was a day of shock, one of the hardest in my life. The second hardest day was June 6, 2023, when the hydroelectric power plant dam was blown up. I felt like my home was drifting further away from me. The dam is a symbolic structure, a bridge to the left bank, but it is also a bridge to life, to my childhood as I remember it.

It seems to me that the blow to the Kherson region is very strong. This is the place where I grew up, and it was incredibly painful for me to witness that. In addition to the ongoing hostilities, it is also a profound blow to the environment and to the way of life. For me, this is a blow to the past, and perhaps, to the future as well.

[Maryna] When I have the opportunity to return, I will go to the hill where we used to watch the sunrise and the stars, take the Ukrainian flag with me, and sit there and look out into the steppe. I miss it so much. I would never have thought before that I would miss the steppe.

It’s such a feeling of freedom when you have the endless steppe around you, and you’re just left alone with your thoughts. There is no city noise. It’s just you. And the steppe.

Maryna on the central lawn of the arboretum—in the true silence of her native landscape / Photo: Iryna Hladchenko

People often associate a reserve with plants and animals, but many forget that there are always people who work, protect, and care for it, and for them, it is a labor of love. I know that we have people working in the reserve who have lived and breathed this mission. Because Askania-Nova is not just a park and a zoo, it is also a settlement. There are at least 3,500 people who identify with this place.

[Mykola] It seems to me that any liberated place, as a rule, comes back to life. This place needs to be revived. Occupation brings stagnation, dullness, and fear. We need to support nature, we need to support locals, and we need to make this place attractive to people once again.

A lot of young people have left. We need to give the youth an incentive to return home. To do this, we need to create interesting places for them, offering opportunities for growth—creative development, including artistic training. I believe this is very important in the de-occupied areas because many people who have left may not return.

I would not want these places to remain abandoned.

[Mykola] There is a house being dismantled brick by brick. And it seems to me that, in a way, the removal of wild animals is like taking a few more bricks from your house. Besides the fact that you can’t go there yourself, many of your relatives, friends, and family have left. You can’t see those who stayed behind. I have family there.

I keep hoping to hear that there is an opportunity to go home.

The sunset over the wild steppe of Askania-Nova / Photo: Iryna Hladchenko

It is impossible to take the beautiful sunrises and sunsets of Askania away, no matter where it is, no matter under whose control. You can send away Chapman’s zebras or Przewalski’s horses but not stop the sun or turn it around so that it rises from the other side. Thank God, that is beyond the power of man.

It is impossible to take the beautiful sunrises and sunsets of Askania away, no matter where it is, no matter under whose control. You can send away Chapman’s zebras or Przewalski’s horses but not stop the sun or turn it around so that it rises from the other side. Thank God, that is beyond the power of man.

Both conversations lead us to a common symbolic place. Together with Mykola and Maryna, we find ourselves at a point where it becomes clear that the environment and humans are never separate from one another. The beauty of nature requires the eyes and hands that perceive it as a value. While we are shaped by the landscapes around us, we, in turn, transform them: we imbue them with meaning, enrich them with memories, and nourish them with hope—we carry pieces of home within us, becoming reserves of reserves.

And while Askania-Nova remains under russian occupation, where it is being targeted or simply destroyed through deliberate negligence, the voices of the reserve continue to speak. They speak about this unique land, knowing that the right to it grows out of love, out of a desire to revive everything that has been damaged, and to give this place a future.

To preserve the human in nature, and the natural in humans, and to give youth the chance to live in a country that embraces its responsibility for the environment as an integral part of its identity. 

Our responsibility, as a community of conscious citizens, is to raise awareness of the issue of ecocide and to engage in the study of its impact on human well-being. This is based on the understanding that our future depends on our collective involvement in studying this issue at all levels of individual and institutional interaction.

Photo: Iryna Hladchenko, Maryna Kravets, Mykola Kravets

Anastasiya Mishustina, Yevhen Zabarylo

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