Russian troops destroyed the only gene bank of plants in Ukraine which stored more than 160,000 seed varieties

As a result of the bombing of Kharkiv, the Russian troops destroyed the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine, one of the world's largest gene banks of plants, reports Serhiy Avramenko, an employee of the Plant Production Institute named after V. Yuriev.

He explained that the seeds are usually stored in special storage facilities, which protect them from various dangers. But every few years, varietal renewal is carried out when the existing seeds are sown to lay new ones for storage. In March 2022, the seeds were prepared for sowing, so they were stored in a building that was bombarded in April.

An employee of the Institute noted that the bank stored more than 160,000 seed varieties from around the world. The history of the National Gene Bank of Plants of Ukraine dates back to 1908, when it started operation as Kharkiv Agricultural Experimental Station. It also survived the German occupation.

Avramenko added that breeders from all over the world (including Russia) visited the Institute to get new seed varieties. The NCPGRU cooperates with international and national research and breeding institutions in more than 30 countries and participates in solving the global problem of enrichment, preservation, and efficient use of the genetic resources of plants of the planet.

"After the "Russian world" came, everything turned to ashes, including tens of thousands of samples. This is a world collection that included varieties that are hundreds of years old, some of them are one-of-kind and cannot be restored. Everything burned down,"  Avramenko said.

The employee also stressed that there were no Ukrainian service members on the territory of the Institute,  "This is a purely scientific institution that was deliberately destroyed. Russian troops aimed at this very place where the bank of plant genetic resources was kept."