After demining in Halytsynivka, the first pines and maples were planted on the charred ruins

In the Mykolaiv region the state enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” began restoring forest plots destroyed during the war in Halytsynivka: on Thursday, 23 April, the first saplings of Crimean pine and maple were planted on the burn sites, dedicating this action to the defenders of Mykolaiv.

During the intense fighting in 2022 the Halytsynivske tract became a line of contact where Ukrainian units held back the advance on Mykolaiv. Constant shelling, which continued until the liberation of Kherson, resulted in the burning of 169 hectares of coniferous stands aged from 10 to 50 years.

Access to the damaged stands remained impossible for a long time due to heavy mine contamination of the area. Only after demining work was completed in 2024–2025, when specialists from the “Association of Sappers of Ukraine” surveyed 657 hectares and neutralized explosive devices, were foresters able to move on to sanitary measures and planting young trees.

The planting started directly at the sites of the greatest forest losses. New rows of Crimean pine and maple appeared during the event — the first steps toward restoring the destroyed ecosystems and the protective shelterbelts that had shaped the local microclimate for many years.

Military personnel and government representatives gathered at the event: the commander of the 123rd Separate Territorial Defense Brigade Oleg Makukha, fighters of the 123rd Separate Territorial Defense Brigade who held the defense at these positions, former commander of the 123rd Separate Territorial Defense Brigade Yurii Chaplenko, CEO of SE “Forests of Ukraine” Yurii Bolokhovets, First Deputy Head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration Heorhiy Reshetilov, Head of the Mykolaiv District Military Administration Maksym Kashuba, head of the Halytsynivka community Ivan Nazar, and foresters.

First Deputy Head of the Mykolaiv RMA Heorhiy Reshetilov emphasized the importance of this work for the region and society.

— The revival of the forests is not only about ecology, but also about our memory and gratitude to the defenders. Here, where fierce battles were fought, life is returning. It is a symbol that the Mykolaiv region has stood firm and continues to recover.

As part of the initiative to support the military, the CEO of SE “Forests of Ukraine” handed modern laptops to the fighters of the 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade for UAV operators, which will strengthen the unit’s technical capabilities.

The war has caused extensive damage to the region’s forest fund: about 29 thousand hectares still have not been surveyed due to mine hazard, and another approximately 9 thousand hectares on the territory of the Kinburn Peninsula remain under occupation.

Earlier we wrote:

• Where a sapper cannot go — Mines Eye will fly: Ukraine’s response to the mine threat
• Burned and booby-trapped: the ecological catastrophe of the Halytsynivske forest
• Artillery shells “Smerch” and “Uragan” destroyed in the Halytsynivske tract
• Environmental safety of the Mykolaiv region at risk: forests on the brink of disappearance due to mine contamination
• Thanks to demining vehicles, 47.3 ha have already been cleared in the Mykolaiv region