Almost 3,000 trees were illegally cut down on the territory of the Rava-Ruska Forestry Enterprise in Lviv region. The culprit behind this artificial deforestation of Ukrainian forests was none other than the then head of the enterprise.
According to the State Bureau of Investigations, the investigation has already been completed, and the indictment against the official has been sent to court.
Systemic corruption in a single forestry enterprise
Rava-Ruska Forestry Enterprise has a very bad reputation—the managers of this enterprise are involved in cases of illegal activity with surprising regularity.
The SBI reported that this is already the fifth (!) head of the forestry enterprise whose actions have led to criminal proceedings.
"This indicates the existence of established corruption schemes in the industry," the bureau added.
Personal control over illegal logging
The official knew exactly which areas were off-limits for logging. However, this did not prevent him from personally approving and signing documents for large-scale logging.
As a result of the former director’s actions, 2,711 trees of various species were felled in the forests of Lviv region. According to calculations by the State Environmental Inspection, the damages to the state and the environment amount to about UAH 10 million.
Source: State Bureau of Investigations
The man faces up to ten years in prison. He will be tried for illegal logging and abuse of office, which led to serious consequences.
Earlier, the SBI reported that during 2025, the total damages to the state from the actions of forestry sector officials amounted to more than half a billion hryvnias.
EcoPolitic systematically reports on eco-crimes committed in Ukraine, including by employees of forestry enterprises.
