In the Rivne region, the daughter of prominent Rivne developer Serhiy Kachanovsky has been granted a 49-year lease on forest land, including an area that is part of the nature reserve fund.
Journalists from "The Fourth Estate" conducted their own investigation and uncovered possible illegal development of the area near a protected forest and a pond in the village of Sviate, Mizotska community, an hour’s drive from Rivne.
Houses that “don’t exist”
This refers to a cottage complex linked to the business structures of developer Roman Kuris—a close friend and former business partner of Rivne’s acting mayor, Viktor Shakirzyan. According to journalists, the development has appeared on a site covering more than 2 hectares, part of which belongs to the nature reserve fund and the coastal protection zone. Six houses already stand on the plots. Five of them are over 150 square meters in size, and one is over 330 square meters.
Photo: 4vlada.com
At the same time, in the documentation of the village council concerning the lease of land to Oleksandra Kachanovska, the plots were listed as free from development, although in fact, cottages, access roads, and fencing were already in place. According to local residents, construction had begun as early as in 2022. Journalists analyzed satellite images and confirmed that construction was indeed underway in the forest as of May 2023.
Photo: 4vlada.com
This means that the development actually started long before the official land lease registration. The premises already included completed houses, piers, and landscaping features. Additionally, the area was fenced off, so local residents lost free access to the water body and forest. According to local residents, this territory had previously been open for recreation and fishing.
Photo: 4vlada.com
Beyond the legality of the construction, there are other issues as well. The Environmental Inspection should check whether there are violations of environmental and land legislation, in particular, whether construction within the riparian protection strip and the territory of the protected forest is lawful.
What the local authorities keep quiet about
The authors of the article also draw attention to the role of the local authorities. According to them, the decision to lease the land was adopted after the area had already been developed, which may have been an attempt to legalize the development retroactively. Journalists also suggest that the project may have been carried out with the support of interested officials and without proper oversight by state authorities.
In April, EcoPolitic reported a scheme involving a former People's Deputy from the “Party of Regions,” who appropriated protected lands in Kyiv worth almost UAH 600 million. Local officials were involved in the illegal scheme, and dozens of the parliamentarian’s employees – from security guards to drivers – acted as front men.
