Ukraine's nature continues to suffer damage due to greed and negligence. Foresters have traditionally "distinguished" themselves. They are involved in a number of different schemes with a common result – the destruction of forests. The attempt by entrepreneurs from Zaporizhia to make money from toxic plastic, which caused damage to the environment amounting to UAH 10 million, is also outrageous.
EcoPolitic has compiled a digest of environmental crimes that came to light during the week of February 7-13. The information comes from official sources: the State Bureau of Investigations, the Office of the Prosecutor General and its regional divisions, and the State Environmental Inspection.
Subsoil
In the Khmelnytskyi region, the director of a local quarry mined limestone at a rate five times higher than permitted for two years. The man "earned" UAH 18.8 million and caused damage to the environment amounting to almost UAH 240 million. Prosecutors seized the suspect's property and sent an indictment to court.

Source: Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor's Office
Mineral water worth 2 billion UAH was illegally extracted in Dnipropetrovsk region. As previously reported by EkoPolityka, an official at one of the enterprises is responsible for the unauthorized extraction. Recently, the prosecutor’s office announced that an indictment has been sent to court.
Forestry cases
In Ivano-Frankivsk region, several large-scale illegal logging operations were uncovered. Fifteen individuals, including state forestry officials and foresters, have been named as suspects. The total damage amounts to nearly 37 million UAH. Many of the recorded cases of tree destruction occurred in protected areas, including the Hutsulshchyna National Park.
Poor forest protection in Zakarpattia caused damages of nearly 12 million UAH. For four separate incidents, the prosecutor’s office accuses employees of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine.” Six lawsuits have been filed with the court.
The former head of the Cherkasy forestry division of the “Central Forestry Office” branch of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” demanded monthly “tribute” from his subordinates. In exchange for illegal payments, he promised not to interfere with their work or dismiss foresters. The “payment” amount depended on the volume of timber harvested, with a simple scheme: 5% of the volume multiplied by 1,000. Payments had to be made each month by the 15th. The indictment is already in court, and the official faces up to ten years in prison.
An unusual scheme was proposed by a forest ranger of the Kramatorsk forestry enterprise to a local resident: the latter could freely cut down trees in the Kramatorsk landscape park in exchange for 10,000 UAH per day of “work.” Notably, the official did not allow the purchase of firewood through legal means. The man faces up to ten years in prison for extortion, and a pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

Source: State Bureau of Investigation
The coordinator of the illegal logging in Kharkiv region also turned out to be an official. The acting forester of the Derhachi forestry of the state enterprise "Kharkiv Forest Research Station" was managing the illegal timber harvesting in remote sections of the forestry. Together with an accomplice, they sold the wood as firewood and shared the proceeds. In this way, they destroyed more than a thousand trees, causing the state damages of 12 million UAH. The indictment is already in court, and the participants in the scheme each face up to ten years in prison.

Source: State Bureau of Investigation
The forest ranger of the Tsarychanske forestry of the eastern forestry office of the state enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" also decided to make some extra money from timber. The man is also, concurrently, a deputy of a local village council. He offered a businessman to buy oak timber at a reduced price, but with the extra condition of an "off-the-books" payment. The official has been notified of suspicion.

Source: Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor's Office
An illegal land deed allowed the felling of nearly 400 cubic meters of timber in the Putyla sub-forestry of the branch "Podilskyi Forestry Office" in Chernivtsi region. Damages amounted to over 5 million UAH. Law enforcement is currently establishing the circumstances of the crime.
Owing to the negligence of a forest ranger from the district forestry in the forests of the Pryluky community, 150 trees were illegally felled. The official failed to properly supervise the work crew, resulting in environmental damage totaling over 1 million UAH.
In addition to illegal logging, foresters also manage to "leave their mark" in procurement. For example, in Kyiv region, due to inadequate price monitoring, the communal enterprise "Darnytske Forestry and Park Agency" overpaid 1.1 million UAH in the purchase of a log splitter. The prosecutor's office established that negligence was committed by the enterprise's engineer. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
The head of one of the communities in Zolotonosha district, Cherkasy region, has been notified of suspicion. He issued a series of permits for tree felling, which resulted in illegal logging. The calculated damages amounted to 6.9 million UAH.
Land matters
After illegal appropriation, 29 hectares of forest in Ivano-Frankivsk region ended up in municipal ownership. The court granted the prosecutors' claim, so the right of the Solotvyno village council to the forest fund plot was revoked.
На Lviv region, the Rava-Ruska village council transferred 3.3 ha of the "Torfovyshche Bilohorshcha" landscape reserve to a local garage-building cooperative. Moreover, this was done free of charge. This new designation completely contradicts the protected status of these lands. Prosecutors managed to defend the fate of the reserve in court.
In Vinnytsia region, 3 ha of forest were illegally re-designated for agricultural use. In this way, Bar City Council reregistered the right to a section of the forest fund. Prosecutors identified violations of land and forest legislation. By court decision, the plot was returned to the Vinnytsia Regional Council.
Environmental pollution
Toxic and illegal production was organized by a couple from Zaporizhzhia region. They shredded containers for agrochemicals into plastic chips, which they then sold to other business entities. Environmental standards and the consequences for the environment, of course, were ignored. It is preliminarily estimated that nearly 1,000 m2 of land have been polluted, with environmental damages exceeding 10 million UAH. A pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

Source: Zaporizhzhia Regional Prosecutor's Office
In Zhytomyr region, animal remains were stored outside the special designated site. Such an order was given by a former branch manager of a state enterprise engaged in the disposal of such waste. Environmental pollution caused damage amounting to nearly 1.5 million UAH. Additionally, the official awarded contracts for biowaste processing at understated prices. Consequently, the budget lost an additional 1.2 million UAH. The man faces up to six years' imprisonment.
Poaching in protected areas
A resident of Khmelnytsky region, without any permits or approvals, set up seven nets on the Dniester river. He chose a site within the "Podilski Tovtry" national park for this activity. He caught fish worth 4.4 million UAH, including the endangered species "Black Sea Shemaya". Charges against the poacher have already been brought to court. The reckless fisherman faces a fine or up to three years' imprisonment.

Source: Khmelnytsky Regional Prosecutor's Office
A resident of Kherson region also decided to fish in a protected area. He fished without permits and used prohibited gear, causing environmental damage exceeding 600,000 UAH. The court found him guilty and ordered him to pay restitution.
Three residents of Volyn region also caught half a million UAH worth of fish. Using a banned seine net, they fished in the "Lypove" tract. The offenders have compensated the damages, but charges have still been filed in court.
You can find the digest of last week's environmental crimes at this link.