{"id":597654,"date":"2026-07-11T11:58:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T08:58:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/korabelov.info\/2026\/07\/597654\/zebra-for-3-million-russian-occupiers-turned-askania-nova-into-a-live-animal-market\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T11:58:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T08:58:07","slug":"zebra-for-3-million-russian-occupiers-turned-askania-nova-into-a-live-animal-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/korabelov.info\/en\/2026\/07\/597654\/zebra-for-3-million-russian-occupiers-turned-askania-nova-into-a-live-animal-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Zebra for 3 million: Russian occupiers turned \"Askania-Nova\" into a live animal market"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapman’s zebras are being sold on Russian online marketplaces, which sellers call animals from the Ukrainian biosphere reserve \u201cAskania-Nova\u201d on the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region<\/strong>. For one zebra they are already asking more than 3 million rubles<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This is reported in an investigation by URSA.MEDIA<\/a>, published on 7 July 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Journalists found the seller in October 2025<\/strong> and communicated with him until mid-March 2026<\/strong>. At first he named a price of 2 million rubles<\/strong>, and after resuming correspondence on 3 July<\/strong> he said that the zebra already costs more than 3 million rubles<\/strong>. The man sent photos and video of the animal and assured that he has a contact<\/strong> with a person who catches zebras directly in the reserve.<\/p>\n

Journalists cited the Russian seller’s words about the origin of the offered animal.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe zebra is from Askania, we cooperate, we have a person who regularly helps to catch animals from them\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The man agreed to provide further details only in the Russian messenger MAX, for which an RF phone number is required to register. Because of this, the investigators could not continue communication posing as buyers. They also found similar photos of the zebra in listings on the Russian platform \u201cAvito\u201d.<\/p>\n

At the same time, journalists emphasize: it is currently impossible to definitively prove that the animal offered for sale comes from \u201cAskania-Nova\u201d. This must be established by the investigation. However, the illegal removal of animals from the reserve has already been documented by Ukrainian law enforcement.<\/p>\n

According to the investigation, one of the coordinators of moving the animals and negotiating with buyers was the collaborator Valentyn Subotin<\/strong> \u2014 the \u201cdeputy director\u201d appointed by the occupying authorities. Before the full-scale invasion he led the reserve’s mechanized brigade, and after the seizure of the institution he sided with the occupiers.<\/p>\n

The lawful director of \u201cAskania-Nova\u201d, Viktor Shapoval<\/strong>, reported that the Russians have already taken at least 10 Chapman’s zebras<\/strong> \u2014 almost a third of the entire herd that was kept in the reserve before the invasion. Some of the animals were moved to private zoos in occupied Crimea<\/strong> and Russia’s Krasnodar Krai.<\/p>\n