Part of Chernobyl Reserve land allocated for fortification construction – decree

According to Ukrinform, Decree No. 835/2024, titled "On Changing the Boundaries of the Chernobyl Radiation and Ecogical Biosphere Reserve," was published on December 5 on the President's official website.

Under the decree, lands within the exclusion and unconditional (mandatory) resettlement zones along the state border, spanning a width of 45 meters and totaling 695.2 hectares, have been removed from the Reserve. These plots are to be permanently allocated to military units of the State Border Guard Service for the construction, maintenance, and eration of engineering and fortification structures, fences, border markers, patr paths, and communication systems.

The total area of the Reserve now stands at 226,269.5 hectares.

The Cabinet of Ministers has been tasked with the flowing:

within six months, to ensure the withdrawal of 45-meter-wide land strips along the state border; within six months, to amend the regulations governing the Chernobyl Biosphere Reserve; during 2025, to revise the Reserve’s organizational and protective measures plan.

The decree came into effect upon its publication.

Read also: Construction of fortifications near Zaporizhzhia nearly complete – regional administration

As previously reported, Vadym Mysnyk, a spokesperson for the Siversk erational-Tactical Group of Tros, noted that defense systems along Ukraine’s northern border differ significantly from other regions due to the area's marshy and forested terrain. However, Ukraine’s Defense Forces have adapted effectively to these geographical conditions.