EcoPolitic has collected for its readers the 5 most significant cases of environmental damage reported by the press services of prosecutors and police, as well as the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine and its territorial bodies during the week of May 3-9.
1. The State Ecological Inspectorate of the Polissia District reported the discovery of unauthorized felling of 1,140 trees of various species and diameters near the village of Bazar in the Narodytska territorial community of Korosten district, Zhytomyr region. The total amount of damage caused to the environment exceeded UAH 3.7 million.
The information about the felling was recorded in the relevant field checklists based on the results of the survey, and the materials were sent to the police to identify the perpetrators.
2. In Volyn, the heads of two private enterprises and an individual entrepreneur were notified of suspicion of land contamination. They were illegally slaughtering cattle and horses within the settlement, and animal waste was stored on the territory of the slaughterhouse and then buried on land plots not intended for their disposal in Volyn and Lviv regions.
Photo: vol.gp.gov.ua.
The results of the laboratory tests and examinations showed that the group members contaminated land plots with a total area of almost 500 square meters by their illegal actions.
3. In Dnipropetrovs'k region, an organized group engaged in illegal felling of trees in protective forest plantations was exposed. The organizer, co-organizer and 5 members of the group were suspected. Investigators found out that a resident of Kryvyi Rih district organized a “business” of illegal logging in the territory of Dnipro and Mykolaiv regions. He involved his son and acquaintances.
Photo: dnipr.gp.gov.ua.
The defendants cut down oaks, acacias, and ash trees and transported them to the yard of the group's organizer in their own cars. Here, the extracted wood was sawn into timber and sold to individuals and commercial entities.
During the searches, law enforcement officers seized more than 230 cubic meters of firewood and other timber, as well as chainsaws, axes, vehicles, funds and documentation.
Photo: dnipr.gp.gov.ua.
Photo: dnipr.gp.gov.ua.
The “black loggers” caused almost UAH 2 million in damage to the environment.
4. The director of an enterprise in Kyiv region that specializes in the processing and disposal of solid waste will be brought to trial. He ensured the uninterrupted acceptance of waste of various morphological origins to the landfill.
Photo: kobl.gp.gov.ua.
Photo: kobl.gp.gov.ua.
Experts found that such actions of the official led to the pollution of land and air with substances harmful to life, human health and the environment.
The total amount of environmental damage caused is almost UAH 1.3 million.
Photo: kobl.gp.gov.ua.
Photo: kobl.gp.gov.ua.
5. In Poltava region, prosecutors filed a lawsuit against Poltava Municipal Motor Transport Enterprise 1628 to recover almost UAH 10 million in damages caused to the state.
The company owns a solid waste dump located in Makukhivka village, Poltava district. Due to constant fires at the landfill caused by violations of fire and industrial safety laws, pollutants were released into the air.
The total amount of damage caused by pollution in 2024 is almost UAH 10 million.
EcoPolitic published a large digest with 10 violations in the field of environmental protection last week. The largest violation with a damage of UAH 257 million was illegal felling of trees in the Hutsulshchyna National Nature Park. Officials of the Kutske Forestry in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, who were supposed to protect these forests, were involved.
