Mykhailivska Tsilyna Nature Reserve, Velyki Luky
The only strict nature reserve in Sumy region: a tract of meadow steppe protected since 1928.
In 1928 the steppe of the Kapnists' Mykhailivka stud farm was declared a reserve of local significance. From 1947 it was of national significance, from 1961 it was a branch of the Ukrainian Steppe Nature Reserve, and in 2009 it became a separate nature reserve. The area is 882.9 ha: 202.5 ha of virgin steppe, protected since 1928, and 680.4 ha of fallow land and gullies (balkas) added in 2018. The reserve protects meadow steppe with Stipa capillata (feather grass), Festuca valesiaca (fescue) and Bromus inermis (smooth brome); the flora numbers about 525 plant species. On 22 September 2025 about 3 ha burned in the reserve after a russian drone came down on its territory.
Independent visits are not provided for: only with the administration's permission, accompanied by staff and only along the eco-trail (reserve website; tel. +38 0542 771 701). The map point is a reference for the territory about 2 km east of the village of Velyki Luky; the reserve covers 882.9 ha — arrange the meeting place with the administration. The Lebedyn community is regularly shelled: on the night of 29.09.2026 — five Shahed drones, non-residential premises were damaged (dancor.sumy.ua, 29.09.2026).