On April 6, 2026, the Velykooleksandrivskyi District Court of Kherson region sentenced in absentia the occupation “director” of the “Askania-Nova” reserve to 15 years of imprisonment under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The Prosecutor General’s Office emphasized that this is the first sentence for a war crime against the nature reserve fund.

What is known about the perpetrator

Dmytro Viktorovych Meshcheryakov (born November 30, 1975) is a native of Kherson who, no later than March 2023, voluntarily cooperated with the occupation authorities of russia and took the position of director of the so-called “State Autonomous Institution “Biosphere Reserve “Askania-Nova”, created by russian authorities on the basis of the seized Falz-Fein Biosphere Reserve “Askania-Nova” of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine — an environmental institution of international importance.

Prior to this, Meshcheryakov worked as a chief state inspector in the occupation environmental protection inspectorate.

Circumstances of the crime

The occupiers registered the reserve under russian law on March 7, 2023, through the Federal Tax Service of russia, appointing Meshcheryakov as “director”.

After his appointment, he organized several waves of illegal transfers of animals to occupied Crimea and russia.

• December 2023. Two Chapman’s zebras, two American bison, two Przewalski’s horses (listed in the Red Book of Ukraine), and two Père David’s deer were transferred to the Rostovsky State Nature Biosphere Reserve and the “Wild Nature of the Steppe” association. Damages amounted to over UAH 17.9 million.
• March 2024. Three cows of the Ukrainian Grey breed were transferred to the Taigan Lion Park in Crimea. Damages amounted to over UAH 4.2 million.
• April 2024. Three Chapman’s zebras were again transferred to “Taigan”. Damages amounted to nearly UAH 18.9 million.
• June 2024. Another seven Chapman’s zebras were transferred to the same park. Damages amounted to over UAH 44.1 million.

The total amount of damage, confirmed by commodity valuation examinations, amounted to UAH 85,271,000.

Witnesses in court stated that after the occupiers established control over the reserve, the situation deteriorated sharply: there was a shortage of feed, medicines, and qualified personnel, and due to the lack of electricity and improper maintenance, several rare animal species died, including African buffalo.

Verdict

The court found Meshcheryakov guilty under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: Part 7 of Article 111-1 — voluntary occupation of a position in an illegal law enforcement body in a temporarily occupied territory, and Part 1 of Article 438 — violation of the laws and customs of war (looting of a scientific institution protected by the Hague Convention).

Based on the totality of the crimes, the court imposed a final sentence of 15 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property and a ban on holding public office.

In addition, the court fully satisfied the civil claim of the injured party: UAH 85,271,000 is to be recovered from Meshcheryakov in favor of the “Askania-Nova” reserve, as well as UAH 4,000 in court costs for expert examinations.