EcoPolitic has compiled a list of the 10 most significant cases of environmental damage that were made public during the week of June 7-13. The information was published by the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI), press services of the prosecutor's office, as well as the State Environmental Inspection of Ukraine and its divisions.
1. In Zakarpattia, SBI employees reported suspicions against the forester of the Svidovets Forestry, a branch of the Yasinya Forestry and Hunting Enterprise of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine.” He was aware of illegal logging in the forestry but did nothing to stop the violations.
Photo: dbr.gov.ua.
The official allowed the illegal felling of 84 valuable trees – firs. The damage to the state has already been estimated at over UAH 3.3 million for 57 of them. A forensic engineering and environmental examination is ongoing for the remaining 27 trees.
Photo: dbr.gov.ua.
Photo: dbr.gov.ua.
The forester is now suspected of improper performance of his official duties, which led to serious consequences. The sanction of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, under which he is charged, provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 2 to 5 years.
Photo: dbr.gov.ua.
2. In the Zaporizhzhia region, the director of one of the municipal enterprises is suspected of illegal extraction of groundwater, which he organized even before the full-scale invasion. As a result, the state suffered damages of almost UAH 2.8 million.
3. In the Poltava region, 10 members of an organized criminal group will be tried. Depending on their role, the defendants are charged with illegal logging, transportation, storage, and sale of illegally felled trees, which caused serious consequences, as well as theft, committed by an organized group (Parts 2, 3 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 28, Parts 2, 4 of Article 246, Part 5 of Article 185 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
This group was organized by two residents of the Hadyach and Hlobyn territorial communities. They recruited eight other local residents to join the group.
From October 2024 to March 2025, the group members illegally cut down ash and maple trees in the Hlobyn territorial community: both in field protection forest belts and on two land plots belonging to an individual. The wood was transported to one of the farms located in the city of Hlobyn and then sold to the population.
Through their actions, the “black loggers” caused damage to the Hlobyn City Council totaling about UAH 2 million, and to an individual – almost UAH 660,000.
4. In Chernihiv region, employees of a local enterprise were exposed who did not have the necessary permits and equipment for the disposal of hazardous waste, but nevertheless regularly entered into contracts with other enterprises, institutions, and organizations to provide hazardous waste disposal services.
Photo: chrg.gp.gov.ua.
Photo: chrg.gp.gov.ua.
The perpetrators used a land plot in the Chernihiv district to carry out their activities.
Photo: chrg.gp.gov.ua.
There, they created an unauthorized landfill for hazardous and especially hazardous waste (medical waste, pesticides, mercury-containing waste, used batteries, car tires, etc.). Instead of safe disposal, the dealers simply buried them in the ground.
Photo: chrg.gp.gov.ua.
Photo: chrg.gp.gov.ua.
5. In Zaporizhzhia, environmental inspectors from the Southern District calculated more than UAH 4 million in damages due to the contamination of a land plot with various types of waste. They sent the compiled inspection materials to the police.
6. In the Hutsulshchyna National Nature Park in Ivano-Frankivsk region, specialists from the Carpathian District Inspection recorded the illegal felling of 123 mature trees of various species without special permission. The damage from this offense amounted to about UAH 17 million.
7. In Poltava region, the damage from air pollution caused by a fire in the forest area on the territory of the Voronkovsky forestry reached almost UAH 28.8 million. The cause of the fire has not been reported.
8. The environmental inspectorate in the Ternopil region secured the collection of UAH 4.7 million from the Pidvolochysk village council for land pollution. Local authorities tried to appeal the environmental inspectors' report, but the Supreme Court upheld the decisions of the lower courts. Therefore, on June 11, the village council compensated for the damage in full.
9. Another illegal household waste dump was recorded by specialists from the Carpathian District Inspection in the village of Kamiana, Chernivtsi District, Bukovina. The amount of damage caused to the environment is UAH 1.2 million.
10. The environmental inspection in the Chernihiv region filed a claim against the Baturyn City Council for UAH 1 million for the illegal felling of 65 trees of various species on the territory of the Baturyn territorial community in the Nizhyn district.
Last week, it became known that the captain of a Russian oil tanker was suspected of negligence that caused more than UAH 20 billion in damage to the environment. Read about this and other cases of environmental damage in our traditional weekly digest.
