Despite the statutory ban on driving through nature reserve areas, this does not deter off-road driving enthusiasts. The Ministry of Economy therefore plans to create special routes to meet demand without harming the environment, as well as to increase penalties through the adoption of a new law.
Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi, Deputy Minister of Economy and the Environment, stated this in a comment to the media outlet ‘Suspilne Ivano-Frankivsk’.
More fines and powers
At present, the fines for off-road driving are too low to act as a deterrent against this type of environmental offence. In addition to this reason, the official also cites the extreme difficulty in gathering evidence.
In future, this situation is set to change at a legislative level – a draft bill has already been registered on the parliament’s website, which aims to increase the penalties for off-road driving within protected areas. Work is currently underway with the relevant committee to pass the bill.
"There will be a significant tightening of liability, but as the bill is only at the first reading stage, I cannot say exactly what form this will take at this stage. We are increasing fines and granting greater powers to our national nature parks and the National Police of Ukraine. So there is hope that this will, after all, put a stop to it," said Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi.
Meeting demand without harming the environment
The problem of off-roading itself stems from high demand amongst tourists. Consequently, one proposed solution is to create special off-road driving areas outside the boundaries of nature reserves. According to the Deputy Minister, he has discussed this possibility with representatives of the State Agency for Tourism Development.
"We understand that people want to go off-roading, but this should take place on designated tracks so that, in the pursuit of instant gratification, we do not destroy our environment, which has taken millennia to form," said the official.
Start with environmental education
Promoting eco-conscious thinking amongst young people could be an important step. Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi believes that special programmes and optional modules, which are planned to be introduced in schools, could help in this regard.
"We want to work with the Ministry of Education now to ensure that children are taught these things. This needs to start at school, so that when children grow up, they understand that we must protect our environment and preserve our natural world," said the Deputy Minister.
As a reminder, back in February 2025, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed No. 4188-IX “On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine’ regarding the preservation of territories and sites within the Nature Reserve Fund and the expansion of their classification”, known as the “off-roading law”.
However, the legislative ban proved insufficient. As early as this summer, the Ministry of Economy announced its intention to step up monitoring of areas where offences are likely to occur.
In some places, this met with resistance from representatives of this form of ‘tourism’. For example, in Yaremche, the organisers of jeep tours blocked the work of the State Environmental Inspectorate.
Efforts to combat off-roading are also being made at nature reserve level. At ‘Synevyr’, hidden photo and video traps have been set up along popular illegal routes, whilst at ‘Malyi Polissya’, the paths have been blocked off with barriers.
Off-roading on land designated as a nature reserve will result in fines. Under the Code of Administrative Offences, this amounts to up to 408 UAH for members of the public and up to 510 UAH for public officials. At the same time, you will be required to compensate for the damage caused to the environment. This amounts to 6,400 UAH for every 100 metres of tracks left by an off-road vehicle and 4,000 UAH for a quad bike or motorbike.
