Russia’s full-scale invasion has not deterred officials from profiting off Ukraine’s forests, mineral resources, and water bodies. Since 2022, the total losses resulting from environmental crimes have exceeded 2.6 billion hryvnias.
This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigations.
Environmental violations are typically large-scale and, in some cases, systematic. Among the most common types of crimes are:
- illegal logging;
- illegal extraction of minerals;
- pollution of water resources.
Law enforcement officials have determined that since 2022, individuals involved in criminal cases related to the environment have illegally profited from their crimes by nearly 398 million hryvnias. Their assets are being seized to compensate for the damage. Currently, the total value amounts to 358 million hryvnias.
Statistics on proceedings
The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) reported that during the period under review, bureau employees registered criminal proceedings, investigated 2,618 cases, and referred 411 indictments to court. A total of 658 individuals were charged.
In just the first quarter of this year, law enforcement officers have already sent 56 indictments to court involving 84 individuals.
Among the recent examples is an illegal amber mining case causing damages of 306 million UAH, for which an indictment against a company official was sent to court in March. That same month, an indictment was sent against the chief forester of one of the enterprises, who allowed extensive illegal logging-more than 6,000 trees, causing damages of over 56 million UAH.
“Environmental protection today is not just an ecological issue. It is a matter of economic resilience, community security, and the future recovery of the country. Lost resources cannot be quickly restored, so every uncovered crime means preserved opportunities for the state,” the State Bureau of Investigation emphasizes.
Source: State Bureau of Investigation
EcoPolitic reported that in the forestry sector alone, damages from officials' crimes in 2025 amounted to 546 million UAH.
