The Svidovets Range in Transcarpathia, situated in the Carpathian highlands, was not long ago the subject of plans to build yet another ski resort. Several years have passed, and plots of land of high conservation value, which have been carved up into small parcels, are now being leased out. Journalists have uncovered an alarming fact: one of the tenants will be the former deputy director of ‘Bukovel’ and his recently established company.
The media outlet ‘Espreso’ reported on this situation.
Plans for mountain development
Svidovets is part of the Emerald Network — a network of nature conservation areas spanning the whole of Europe. However, property developers have also set their sights on these lands, and the local authorities have not objected. As far back as 2016, the former head of the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration had reached an agreement with the owner of the ‘Bukovel’ resort regarding its expansion.
One of the key figures in the tourism project was Yuriy Dobrovolskyi, who at the time held the post of deputy director of ‘Bukovel’.
However, the developers’ plans did not come to fruition due to a ruling by the Supreme Court. In 2024, the Court quashed the detailed development plan for the area, which had authorised the construction of the resort.
Appetites have not subsided
The collapse of the construction project for a huge tourist complex did not diminish Svidovets’ appeal to buyers. In that same year, 2024, the aforementioned Dobrovolskyi put forward the idea of ‘reviving sheep farming’. This was discussed at a meeting of residents of the village of Brustury, where hearings were held regarding the leasing of land in Svidovets for the investor’s business activities.
At the time, local residents demanded specific details about who the investor actually would be. As it turned out, Dobrovolskyi represented a whole series of interlinked companies:
- Agroprodservice Ltd, linked to Ivan Chaikovsky, a Member of Parliament from the ‘For the Future’ group;
- "Svidovets-Agro" Ltd, owned by the son of the aforementioned Member of Parliament, the son of Ihor Palytsia, and Vasyl Stefurak;
- Tis-Agro Ltd, founded by the aforementioned company.
The authorities ignored the residents’ objections, and by 2025 the Ust-Chornyanska Settlement Council had divided over 4,200 hectares of Svidovets’ communal land into small plots.
The Carpathians for rent
Svidovets-Agro Ltd was granted 2 hectares of land for a period of 10 years in April. Between July and September 2026, Yurii Dobrovolskyi himself acquired 23 plots totalling 350 hectares. This was approved by a decision of the village council, which specified the intended use as ‘haymaking and livestock grazing’.
The former deputy director of the largest resort insists that he will use this land as a private individual and solely for agricultural purposes.
"As a private individual, I have long since explained to the local community, the council and the public exactly what will be happening there and for what purposes I plan to lease the plots of land," Dobrovolsky said in a comment to *Espreso*.
Another company — the same person
The town council did not stop there and put a further 530 hectares of prime land up for auction. The companies ‘Girlyga’ Ltd and ‘Aldi’ Ltd were the most active bidders at the auctions.
During its short existence — just five months — Girlyga Ltd has managed to win 31 auctions. The subject of the auctions has invariably been land in Svidovets, and the company’s founder has consistently been Yuriy Dobrovolskyi. In addition to his career at ‘Bukovel’, he previously held senior positions at the Main Directorate of Land Resources in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.
The newly minted land magnate declined to comment on the intended use of these plots of land.
"Once the protocol setting out the auction results has been signed, then we’ll be able to comment. You don’t jump the gun when commenting on something you don’t have," said Yuriy Dobrovolskyi.
Aldi Ltd, which competes with Dobrovolsky’s company, was founded in 2000. Its main areas of activity are “the wholesale trade in solid, liquid and gaseous fuels and similar products” and “timber harvesting”.
The company is owned by Oksana Logoyda, Ivan Pyrynets and Oleksandr Stogniyenko. Oksana is a school teacher of English. One of the founders of ‘Aldi’ was her husband, Dmytro Logoyda, who left the group of founders in 2006.
EcoPolitic previously reported that, along with Svidovets, the Krasna mountain pasture had also been carved up for auction. High-altitude areas may be at risk of development, not only by holiday resorts but also by wind farms.
The destruction of the Runa mountain pasture and the surrounding forests has for years been one of the most hotly debated environmental issues in the Carpathians. Despite all the opposition from campaigners and even Members of Parliament, the Ministry of Economy issued an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the construction of a wind farm in the Tur’ye-Remetivska community. It subsequently transpired that separating the foundations from the generators themselves in order to avoid an environmental impact assessment was unlawful. However, the Ministry of Economy stated that it could do nothing about it. Meanwhile, in the mountain pastures, they are felling the forest to make way for a power line and are planning yet another road — this time to a different peak and another wind farm.
