EcoPolitic has prepared an overview of the five most high-profile cases involving environmental damage. These are materials for the period October 25–31, which were made public by the Office of the Prosecutor General, regional prosecutor's offices, and the State Bureau of Investigations.
1. Illegal logging of oak trees with estimated damages in the tens of millions of hryvnia. The scheme operated in six regions: Lviv, Cherkasy, Volyn, Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad, and Zakarpattia. The perpetrators were head of one of the branch's departments
and two private wood processing companies.
The forestry official released the timber without documentation, and the entrepreneur "legalized" it by transferring it between his own companies using forged documents. Ultimately, the timber from illegally felled Ukrainian oak trees ended up abroad. A third company was involved in the export.
In October of this year alone, the head of the forestry department received UAH 2 million from the businessman. This was payment for almost 100 cubic meters of illegally cut timber.
A pre-trial investigation is currently underway. The Lviv Regional Prosecutor's Office is in charge of the proceedings. The participants could face up to 12 years in prison and confiscation of property.
2. The negligence of the former head of another branch of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" resulted in losses of UAH 6.9 million. Due to his oversight, trees were illegally cut down in the "Mosty" landscape reserve of local importance in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Due to inadequate control over the issuance of logging permits, the former official faces up to 5 years in prison, as his negligence had serious consequences. In this case, it was for the preservation of the forest ecosystem, since trees in the reserve should be protected, not cut down.
The indictment has already been sent to court. The case is being handled by the regional prosecutor's office.
3. Dirty wastewater from a dairy plant in Khmelnytskyi region caused damage to the state amounting to UAH 14.8 million. The plant's managers were notified of the charges against them, and their property and car were seized.
Last year, from May to November, the plant discharged untreated wastewater into a tributary of the Kalyus River, in violation of environmental requirements. As a result, the concentration of harmful substances in the water has exceeded safe levels, and the river's biome has been destroyed.
The suspect is currently awaiting a preventive measure. She faces up to five years in prison or restricted freedom.
Photo: Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor's Office
4. In Odessa region, a citizen registered recreational land worth UAH 15 million in her name without any grounds. This concerns 16 plots with a total area of 1.5 hectares on the Black Sea coast, right next to the water.
The woman applied to the state registrar with documents that did not confirm her ownership rights in any way. However, the information about the new owner was still entered into the register. Subsequently, the plots were transferred to a private enterprise fund.
Thanks to the actions of the prosecutor's office, the Black Sea land was returned to the Dalnytsia village council.
5. In Kyiv, 40 hectares of land worth almost UAH 1.7 billion were returned to the community. To this end, the prosecutor's office initiated the termination of the lease agreement with an unscrupulous tenant. It is noteworthy that more than 9 hectares of this land falls within the coastal protection zones of the Dnipro River.
This week, EcoPolitica also reported that the prosecutor's office defended the lands of the Carpathian National Nature Park from being removed from state ownership.
In the Kyiv region, three individuals will face trial for an attempt to appropriate land from the water fund valued at over UAH 50 million, while in the Cherkasy region, the community succeeded in returning 12 ha of the “Ptashyni Ostrovy” (Bird Islands) botanical reserve to communal ownership.
