A large-scale scheme for selling oak timber under the guise of firewood was exposed in Kharkiv region. The organizers were heads of local branches of state forestry enterprises, along with two civilians, including the head of a local branch of one of the political parties. Law enforcement detained those involved during the transfer of a bribe.
This was reported by materials from the Security Service of Ukraine and the Office of the Prosecutor General, which did not disclose the organizers' names. However, their identities were revealed by the publication “Ukrainska Pravda,” citing its own sources.
Among those arrested are Oleksandr Lysenko, director of the "Slobozhansky Forest Office" branch; Mykola Zhelnovach, head of the Hutyansky Forest District; and Serhiy Ponomarenko, head of the Kharkiv branch of the "Batkivshchyna" party.
Bribe for mediation
The criminal scheme is quite typical for this industry. Entrepreneurs win official tenders to purchase lumber from the state forestry enterprise and receive high-quality oak wood at the price of ordinary firewood. In return, they must pay the organizers the difference between the actual price and the price stated in the documents.
Incidentally, the participants in the crime also forged documents—forestry officials entered false information into the reports.
Source: SBU
Caught red-handed
All the scheme's organizers were detained by the Security Service of Ukraine during the handover of the final corrupt “installment” in the amount of 320,000 UAH. In total, a representative of the buyer handed 1.2 million UAH to the scheme participants – this was documented by law enforcement. This is the exact amount that the perpetrators demanded from the entrepreneur for 200 cubic meters of oak timber.
Evidence of illegal activity was found on mobile phones and in documents seized during searches.
The detainees were charged under two articles:
- Part 5, Article 191 – misappropriation, embezzlement of property, or appropriation by abuse of office;
- Part 3, Article 368 – acceptance of a proposal, promise, or receipt of an improper benefit by an official.
For the committed offenses, they face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
The Office of the Prosecutor General additionally reports that the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv has already chosen pretrial measures for four suspects. This involves detention with the possibility of bail. The amounts are as follows:
- for the branch director – 2.66 million UAH;
- for the forest district director – 1.66 million UAH;
- for the two intermediaries – 1.49 million UAH and 1.33 million UAH.
EcoPolitic previously reported on the top corruption scandals of 2025. Traditionally, the forestry sector was among the leaders.
Since the beginning of 2026, the State Bureau of Investigation has already exposed forest-related crimes totaling 133 million UAH.
