Wounded lions and birds died as a result of a Russian Federation terrorist airstrike with a KAB on Feldman Ecopark near Kharkiv.

“Just now the Russians killed parrots, pheasants, all the elite birds. Lions are injured, what happened to the tigers is unknown. A KAB was dropped on ‘Feldman Ecopark’,” – the founder of the reserve.

January 1, 2025 for Kharkiv began with explosions. Residents of several districts of the city and suburbs heard them. In the first hours, it became clear: this was not another episode of air defense, but a direct airstrike. According to preliminary data, the Russian army used a guided aerial bomb (KAB), striking the suburbs of Kharkiv.

The head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov, confirmed the fact of the strike and the presence of an injured civilian:

“According to preliminary information, the enemy struck the suburbs with a KAB. At this moment, one injured person is known. Medics are providing all necessary assistance.”

This airstrike occurred against the backdrop of a large-scale night attack across Ukraine. According to the Air Force, on the night of January 1, Russia launched 205 drones of various types, about 130 of which were Shahed strike drones. The combined attack included both drones and aviation weapons.

One of the targets was an ecopark near Kharkiv — a civilian object with no military significance.

Direct hit on the ecopark: what exactly happened today

The consequences of the strike were detailed by Suspilne Kharkiv founder of the ecopark Oleksandr Feldman. His comments capture not individual episodes but the full picture of the destruction.

According to him, the very premises where the animals were kept during the winter period were destroyed:

“The wintering facilities for predators and birds are destroyed. Currently, it is known that lions are injured, birds have died.”

The aviary suffered particularly severe consequences. The projectile hit directly into the building where species critically dependent on warm conditions were kept:

“The birds died, if not all, then most. The projectile hit the aviary. All parrots, pheasants, all elite birds that need warm conditions were in this building.”

As a result of the explosion, predators were also affected. Lions were injured, and some animals were in a state of severe stress. The situation was complicated by the fact that the strike created a real threat of tigers escaping from damaged premises.

“We don’t understand what’s with the tigers. One ran into a three-story building, another is sitting in a half-open enclosure. Hiding in a house. Still sitting.”

It was also critical that all equipment for safe work with predators was destroyed by the same strike:

“We are waiting for a sedative rifle. All our sedative means were in the premises hit by the KAB. We are waiting for the rifle to move it to another enclosure.”

In addition to the animals, a person was also injured. According to Feldman, a volunteer was injured who was on the ecopark’s territory at the time of the strike:

“One volunteer was injured, but it seems not seriously. Her head was cut — she got into the ambulance herself and left.”

Threat of tiger escape and the current situation

After the strike, there was a danger that predators could leave the damaged premises. This information was confirmed by the ecopark representative Olena Klymenko.

According to her, it concerns two Bengal tigers — Abat and Alba. Despite the destruction, the animals did not leave the ecopark territory:

“After the airstrike, there was a threat that the tigers could escape from the explosion-damaged premises, but this did not happen. Now the tigers are in the damaged premises.”

Ecopark employees continue to work under conditions of destroyed infrastructure, lack of some equipment, and constant threat of repeated strikes.

Russia as a terrorist: war against animals

The strike on the ecopark is not an accident or a “targeting error.” It is a logical continuation of the terrorist-type war that Russia is waging against Ukraine.

Over the years of full-scale war, the Russian army systematically destroys civilian objects that have no relation to military actions: residential buildings, schools, hospitals, theaters, energy infrastructure. Now this list includes zoos and ecoparks.

Animals do not participate in the war. They pose no threat, cannot evacuate on their own, cannot hide in bomb shelters. Nevertheless, they become victims of airstrikes, artillery, and missiles.

Feldman Ecopark is a vivid example of how Russia’s war goes beyond even the minimal logic of military actions. A strike on an aviary in winter means the inevitable death of birds. The destruction of predator facilities creates a threat not only to animals but also to people. This is not a military operation — it is terror aimed at all living things.

A story that has already become a film — and was shown in Israel

What is happening today is not a single episode. Feldman Ecopark was on the front line from the first days of the full-scale invasion. This story formed the basis of the documentary film Checkpoint Zoo (“Zoo on the Front Line”).

read about it – In Jerusalem — “Checkpoint Zoo”. The war in Ukraine through the eyes of those who cannot speak — at the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival 2025 — December 17 and 18.

The film tells about the first months of the war when employees and volunteers under shelling:

• fed and treated animals;

• tried to evacuate those who could still be saved;

• risked their lives for creatures that cannot protect themselves.

The film received international resonance and was shown in Israel — as part of the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival. For the Israeli audience, this story resonated especially closely: as a tale of civilian objects under fire and people forced to protect life under constant threat.

Today’s strike — a continuation of the same story

The KAB airstrike on the ecopark near Kharkiv on January 1 shows: the story captured in the documentary film has not ended. It continues here and now — with destroyed buildings, injured lions, dead birds, and people who once again find themselves on the front line of humanity.

Russia is waging war not only against Ukrainian cities. It is waging war against the very idea of protecting life — including the lives of those who cannot run, hide, or fight back.

Today’s KAB airstrike on the ecopark near Kharkiv is not “just another news” or a one-time episode. It is a continuation of the same story, captured in the documentary film and now unfolding again in reality: with destroyed buildings, injured lions, dead birds, and people forced to save life where there should be no front.

Such events show that Russia’s war is not only a war against Ukraine but also a war against the very idea of humanity and the protection of the weak. It is important to talk about this beyond Ukraine — including in Israel, where the cost of strikes on civilian infrastructure is well understood. NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency records these stories not as a chronicle of destruction but as evidence of what the world truly faces when terror becomes state policy.