Since October of last year, more than 100 incidents involving falling drones have been recorded within the Utrish Nature Reserve in the Krasnodar Territory. Fourteen of these incidents resulted in fires, affecting a total area of ​​71.7 hectares. TASS reported these figures, citing the reserve's acting director, Dmitry Onokhov.

The most recent major fire occurred on September 8. Following a drone attack, five separate fires broke out simultaneously within the reserve. The blaze spread across 7.28 hectares. Crews managed to extinguish the fire only on September 14.

Specialists are currently assessing the impact of the fires on the forest. A preliminary survey has already been conducted, including a count of trees that sustained damage preventing further growth. Over the next three months, reserve staff plan to carry out a forest pathology assessment. This survey is intended to identify areas that have lost stability or sustained damage likely to affect the forest's overall condition.

Experts note that no animal fatalities were found following the September 8 fire. Reserve officials attribute this to animal behavior patterns during the seasonal dry spell.

"During droughts, herbivores move to areas where lush grass grows, predators follow them, and soil organisms migrate to deeper soil horizons. Many animals possess highly sensitive olfactory organs; they can detect the smell of smoke from hundreds of meters or even kilometers away and quickly move to safe areas. Fire becomes yet another driving force of evolution—only those animals capable of quickly escaping the flames survive," TASS quoted the official response to its inquiry as saying. On the night of September 23, the Kuban region was also among the Russian regions targeted by drone attacks. In total, 514 UAVs were shot down overnight over Russian territory, occupied Crimea, and the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry reports.