In Donetsk region, a criminal group illegally mined coal worth more than a billion hryvnias

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) exposed a criminal organization of 9 people engaged in illegal coal mining on the territory adjacent to the "Sviato-Pokrovska" mine in the village of Kuritsine, Kramatorsk district, Donetsk region.

The DBR was informed about this case of illegal subsoil use.

The department said that in 2021, one of the private companies received a license for geological study and research and development of a hard coal deposit, but never started these works. Criminals took advantage of this.

Initially, the organizer of the criminal group agreed with the head of the local territorial community to forge a lease agreement for a plot of land where coal was mined, in favor of an enterprise controlled by the organizer. In the future, the head of the local community covered up the illegal activities of the intruders.

In December 2021, the initiator of the illegal activity and 8 of his accomplices began mining at a depth of 80 m in this territory without any permits. To do this, they even converted the old non-working ventilation channel of the Sviato-Pokrovska mine into a shaft for miners to descend underground.

Violators were engaged in technical support of coal mining, territory protection, control of miners' work, accounting and sale of illegally mined minerals.

By the time of their arrest on November 4, 2024, the members of the organized criminal group had caused losses to the state of at least one billion hryvnias. Currently, the full amount is still being determined.

All perpetrators were suspected of creating and participating in a criminal organization, opposing legal economic activity, forging and using forged documents, illegal mining of minerals (Parts 1, 2 of Article 255, Part 4 of Article 28, Part 3 of Article 206, Part 4 of Article 28, Part 4 of Article 240 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The head of the community also received his suspicion. He is charged with participation in a criminal organization as an official, opposition to legal economic activity, forgery and use of forged documents, illegal mining of minerals (Part 3 of Article 255, Part 4 of Article 28, Part 3 of Article 206, Part 4 of Article 28, part 3, article 358, part 4 of article 240 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). He is currently abroad, and the issue of declaring him wanted is being resolved.

The sanction of the articles provides for punishment in the form of deprivation of liberty for a term of up to 13 years.

In October, EcoPolitic reported on the exposure of officials who illegally mined of mineral water for hundreds of millions of hryvnias.