The Ukrainian Government has decided to suspend Viktor Smal, Head of the State Forestry Agency, from his official duties.
This was revealed in a series of orders published on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
Decree No. 638-r of 1 July 2026 on his suspension from office states that the official will be unable to carry out his duties whilst disciplinary proceedings are ongoing.
The proceedings against Viktor Smal were initiated by the previous document, No. 637-p. The government also instructs the Commission on Senior Civil Service to conduct the disciplinary investigation by 8 August 2026. The commission must report the results to the Cabinet of Ministers.
While the Head of the State Forest Resources Agency is suspended, his duties will be fulfilled by the agency’s First Deputy, Volodymyr Buchko. The temporary assignment is stipulated in Government Order No. 639-p.
As of now, there is no official information on the website of the State Forest Resources Agency or on its Facebook page. Viktor Smal also has not commented on the situation on his own page on the social network.
The official joined the State Forest Resources Agency in 2021. He initially served as Deputy Head for Digital Development, Transformation, and Digitalization. Since May 2023, he has acted as head of the agency, and in December 2023, he became the agency’s official head.
Let us remind you that as of today, 1 July 2026, Igor Zubovych has been appointed as Acting Director General of the state enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" became. In May, he was dismissed from the post of Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture. He is now expected to lead the transformation of the state-owned enterprise into a joint stock company.
