The state enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" continues to pay millions in fines for tree felling, which becomes possible due to inadequate protection of the lands. Prosecutors are gradually returning protected lands to the state, reclaiming them from communal and private ownership. Meanwhile, poachers are organizing industrial-scale fishing on the Dnipro River using nets and explosives.
Based on the results of the week from June 6 to 12, EcoPolitic has prepared a digest of violations in the field of environmental protection. Traditionally, the information is sourced from official publications of the State Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the Prosecutor General with its regional branches, as well as the State Environmental Inspection.
Whose lands?
The botanical reserve "Panivetska Dacha" in Khmelnytskyi region has finally received defined boundaries. Without them, the area of the nature reserve fund was at risk of illegal use or development. The court supported the prosecutors' arguments, so the state enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" has indeed marked the boundaries of all 923 ha of the territory on the ground.
A recreation complex instead of a forest. An entrepreneur from the city of Samar in the Dnipropetrovsk region was charged for illegal construction on forest fund land. The man illegally occupied 1 ha of land, fenced it off, built structures including a swimming pool and gazebos, and then quietly profited from the stolen territory. At the same time, the prosecutor's office is taking measures to demolish the unauthorized construction and return the plot to state ownership.
About 10 ha of forests illegally appropriated by structures linked to Medvedchuk have finally been returned to the state. These are lands in Kyiv region that, back in 2004, officials from Kyiv Regional State Administration and Obukhiv District State Administration unlawfully removed from state ownership.
In Rivne region, 14 ha of lands belonging to the Nobel National Nature Park are to be returned to the state. As it turned out, 10 plots within its territory were, in a strange manner, registered as agricultural land. The court satisfied the prosecutors’ claim.
A similar fate befell 10.7 ha of the "Seretskyi" hydrological reserve in Ternopil region. However, in this case the lands have already been returned to the state by court decision, and the relevant data was registered in the State Register of Property Rights.
Court proceedings have been opened regarding a plot of the Dniester Canyon National Park, also in Ternopil region. Lands totaling 31.98 ha were illegally designated as communal agricultural land.
Illegal logging
Trees were felled in forest shelterbelts and the timber was sold. Charges have been filed against three residents of Dnipro who, as an organized group, systematically destroyed trees in protective forest plantations. Environmental losses reached almost 2 million UAH. Over 110 cubic meters of timber were seized during searches.
Source: Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office
In the Zhytomyr region, although logging was carried out legally, an illegal scheme was still found to further profit from timber. The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has completed an investigation into a real organized crime group consisting of two sawmill owners and three officials from the Bohun Forestry. The enterprise is part of the “Capital Forest Office” branch of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine”. Timber “sold to the public” through front buyers ended up at the sawmills, where it was processed and later sold at a higher price. The recorded damage to the state amounted to 1.3 million UAH. For abuse of office and official document fraud, the defendants in the case could face up to 12 years in prison.
The State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” paid almost 2 million UAH in damages caused by improper maintenance of plantations in the “Dnipro Forests” landscape park. On nature reserve lands, negligent protection resulted in the cutting of 30 coniferous trees.
The state enterprise must also compensate almost 1 million UAH because its officials allowed the felling of 119 pines within the Varash city council territory in Rivne region. At least, the prosecutor’s claim has already been satisfied by the court.
It appears that the country’s main foresters will have to pay another 9 million UAH. This time, it is – due to illegal logging in the Zakarpattia region. Local prosecutors filed three lawsuits against the state enterprise over the inadequate performance of duties by officials of subsidiary enterprises. The greatest damage, namely 7.4 million UAH, was caused by logging within the Teresvyanska Valley forestry reserve.
The State Environmental Inspectorate filed a claim against the Carpathian National Park for large-scale tree felling. It turned out that trees worth almost 5.8 million UAH were cut down there without permits. The materials have been sent to the State Bureau of Investigation.
Environmental pollution
A covert communication network was used to illegally discharge waste. In Vinnytsia region, the chief engineer of Kryzhopil Cheese Plant LLC was served a notice of suspicion for large-scale pollution of communal and private lands – 0.36 ha and 1.2 ha, respectively. Dairy processing waste, which was dumped directly into the ground, caused contamination and the drying out of plants. The exact amount of total damage is still being determined.
Source: Vinnytsia Regional Prosecutor’s Office
Over 12,000 m² of land near the landfill were contaminated with lead, copper, cadmium, chlorides, and other environmentally hazardous elements. This occurred due to official negligence by the former deputy head of the Lviv municipal enterprise "Zbyranka." The indictment against the official has already been referred to the court.
Source: Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office
Poaching
For nearly a year, several groups fished illegally on an industrial scale in the Dnipro River within the Kirovohrad region. Prosecutors conducted 21 searches, seizing cash, equipment, fishing gear, and even cartridges and explosives. The evidence found indicates clear organization and role distribution, as well as the sale of fish in large batches. Preliminary estimates indicate losses to the state exceeding 6.2 million UAH. Another 1.1 million UAH was laundered through the sale of illegally caught bioresources.
Illegal subsoil use
Illegal extraction of therapeutic mud and brine. Such a sideline business was organized by a resident of Odesa region while serving as director of a sanatorium in Hola Prystan, Kherson region. The man has been notified of suspicion. He conducted this questionable activity from 2019 to 2021. Damage calculations showed that in just six months, he caused state losses amounting to 1.5 million UAH.
A summary of last week’s environmental crimes can be found at this link.
