More than 660 trees are being felled in a forest belt in Kyiv to make way for the laying of a backup heating network as part of the ‘Resilience Plan’. The main pipeline was originally planned to be built alongside the road, but a government ‘experiment’ has allowed environmental restrictions to be completely disregarded and the route of the utility lines to be changed. According to campaigners, the Cabinet of Ministers’ resolution risks leading to further similar cases.
This was reported by the civil society initiative “Holka”, which called on the city authorities to publish the full set of documentation.
“The city needs a heating network, but not at the cost of the barbaric, hasty felling of 662 trees, including 100-year-old oaks. The Cabinet’s decision has opened a Pandora’s box for the destruction of green spaces across the country,” the activists emphasise.
The city authorities exploited the government’s scheme
According to “Holka”, the need for work on this site had existed for a long time, even before the full-scale invasion. The preparation of project documentation for laying the main pipeline was commissioned on Prozorro in 2023. In reality, however, it was impossible to carry out the work at that time due to a direct legislative ban.
However, in 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Resolution No. 393, which removed all safeguards against the destruction of the forest belt. The government presented this as an ‘experiment’ — for the construction of such projects, it is now no longer necessary to obtain planning permission or formalise land allocation. Written permission from the local administration to use the land is sufficient.
Systemic threat
According to civic activists, these changes not only open the door for abuse but also legalize it. They assert that no one actually inspects the "Resilience Plans." What is more, the new scheme allows for projects that are not even included in such plans.
"Now, under the pretext of energy security, any private developer can save money by routing utilities to their residential complexes right through parks or forests," – Holka warns.
In this case, for convenience and cost-saving, everyone simply ignores the city’s general plan. In the situation involving the shelterbelt in Teremky, the original tender specification dictated that the pipeline be laid along Teremkivska Street. However, as soon as the Cabinet of Ministers gave the green light, officials from KP "Kyivteploenergo" decided to take advantage of the new rule.
Additionally, activists draw attention to blatant manipulation by the Environmental Protection Department of the Kyiv City State Administration, which promises future restoration of the destroyed forest area. The issue is that DBN V.2.5-39:2008 prohibits planting trees within the protective zone of a heat pipeline.
"The public initiative 'Holka' demands that the city authorities publish the complete documentation package, including land use authorization, and explain why the alternative route was rejected," – the community addresses the authorities.
Kyiv residents protested
Kyiv residents are trying to resist the tree felling by hugging the trees.
“Thanks to the presence of a critical number of people and their dedication, albeit with bruises and scratches, still, today the barbarians managed to cut down only two trees. Right now, as the activists have dispersed, the contractor has returned to the logging site to install an iron fence,” wrote Kateryna Chepura on Facebook on Wednesday, August 5.
On Thursday, August 6, the protests continued. However, the people are confronted by law enforcement officers. According to park defenders, individuals wearing police chevrons are physically removing protesters from the territory.
Earlier, EcoPolitic reported that the Dnipro bay’s "Sobache hylo" sandbar is under threat of development. A petition to create a nature conservation site there has long received the required number of votes; however, due to procedures not provided for by law, the Kyiv City State Administration’s Department for Environmental Protection is delaying the process of putting the matter to a vote in the Kyiv City Council.
The developer Stolitsa Group blocked off the shoreline of Lake Nebrezh in Kyiv with a fence. Activists demanded that the prosecutor’s office initiate criminal proceedings. Earlier, the Supreme Court of Ukraine dismissed the cassation complaint from opponents of the construction of the H2O residential complex in the capital’s “Osokorky Eco-Park.”
