The owner of Crimean zoos will stand trial for looting Askania-Nova
Law enforcement officials have concluded their investigation into the owner of the Yalta Zoo “Kazka” and the Crimean lion park “Taigan,” who is accused of removing animals from the “Askania-Nova” nature reserve following the occupation of part of the Kherson region.
According to the investigation, after Russian troops seized the nature reserve, the occupying authorities established an illegal legal entity on its premises and appointed a new director.
No later than October 2023, the owner of the Crimean zoos and the occupation director of “Askania-Nova,” according to investigators, agreed to transfer the animals from the nature reserve’s territory.
Between 2023 and 2024, the animals—which were protected under international humanitarian law—were transported from “Askania-Nova” to the “Taigan” Lion Park in the temporarily occupied Crimea.
The indictment against the founder of the Yalta “Kazka” Zoo and the Crimean “Taigan” Lion Park has already been submitted to the court. He is charged with violating the laws and customs of war, committed as part of a premeditated conspiracy by a group of individuals.
The defendant is currently wanted.
Source: Office of the Prosecutor General.
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