MOSCOW, August 26. /TASS/. Almost 2,500 acres of forest has been destroyed by fire in the Kherson Region, largely due to incendiary shelling by Ukraine, regional Governor Vladimir Saldo told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a meeting.

"Fire hazards have increased due to the heat. The enemy is exacerbating things by deliberately firing incendiary shells at fields, cropland and forests. The forest flourished after the Great Patriotic War, over 444,000 acres covered with trees. The forest has since grown strong and vast, mostly pine. Nearly 2,500 acres have already burned down," Saldo said.