Russians completely destroyed a unique genetic bank in Ukraine containing 160,000 plant varieties
In Kharkiv, Russian troops destroyed Ukraine’s only National Center for Plant Genetic Resources, as reported on YouTube by Serhii Avramenko, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, a leading researcher at the Institute of Plant Breeding.
According to Avramenko, the complete world-class collection burned down, including hundred-year-old varieties that cannot be restored. In general, the bank stored over 160 thousand varieties and hybrids from around the world.
“This was a purely scientific institution, which was deliberately destroyed, targeted at the very place where the bank of plant genetic resources was stored,” said the scientist.
The bank, which has a long history, survived during the German occupation during World War II but did not survive the Russian aggression.
“I am sad to say that in the days of Hitler’s Germany, when the whole of Ukraine was under occupation, the Germans did not destroy this collection, but instead tried to preserve something, to hide something because they knew that their descendants would need it. This is a question of food security. Breeders from all over the world, all countries, including Russia, ordered and received samples from this bank to create their own varieties adapted to the area,” noted Avramenko in his video.
