After the genetic plant bank in Kharkiv was damaged by the Russians, a duplicate gene bank has now been established.

Ukraine has opened a Duplicate Center for the preservation of national plant genetic resources. The new facility, created with the support of the EU and FAO, will ensure the long-term storage of the unique Ukrainian seed collection. This is reported on the FAO Ukraine Facebook page. It is noted that its construction was the result of a joint project by the EU and FAO. The center has been transferred to the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine. According to the press service of the Lviv Regional State Administration, its opening is a response to the threat of the loss of the National Genetic Bank of Ukraine, which operated in Kharkiv. After the start of the full-scale war in 2022, due to Russian missile strikes, part of the seed collection from the gene bank, which was being prepared for sowing and transported to the breeding center in the village of Elite, was destroyed. Also, breeding equipment was destroyed at the Center. The event caused international concern about ...