Researchers have found that birds in Ukraine are using fibre-optic cables to build their nests near the front line of the war. The cables, which are used by Ukrainian and Russian troops to guide aerial attack drones, have become a part of the natural environment in the area.
Impact on the Environment
The use of fibre-optic cables by birds is an example of how the war is reshaping the natural environment in Ukraine. The cables, which can stretch for 20 km, lie tangled in trees and scattered across fields and on the rooftops of towns in Ukraine’s frontline regions.
According to Yana Hrynko, a senior researcher at Kyiv’s War Museum, the birds have begun repurposing the discarded cables to weave their nests. Hrynko said that the nests are a demonstration of the change in the nature of war.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and since then, the country has been pouring resources into developing aerial drones. The drones now dominate the battlefield, and the fibre-optic cables are a crucial part of their operation.
Auke-Florian Hiemstra, a biologist based in the Dutch city of Leiden, said that the impact of the fibre-optic cables on birds could be mixed. The cables could cause harm to the birds, but they could also benefit them by helping them make strong nests.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
