Criminal cases for the privatization of protected lands in Kirovohrad region are opened

Criminal cases for the privatization of protected lands in Kirovohrad region are opened uk.wikipedia.org
Katerina Belousova

The perpetrators violated Article 252 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine "Deliberate destruction or damage of territories taken under state protection and objects of the nature reserve fund"

In Kirovohrad region, thanks to the appeal of eco-activists, the regional prosecutor's office opened criminal proceedings for the allocation of lands of the nature reserve fund of 4 reserves in the Golovaniv district to private ownership.

The investigation also confirmed cases of non-targeted use and self-grabbing of land in these reserves, reports the "Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group" on Facebook.

Eco-activists noted that such reserves as "Kamyanohirskyi", "Novogrihorivskyi", "Kosharo-Olexandrivskyi", and "Skalki" were destroyed.

Criminal proceedings have been opened against the violators under Article 252 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine "Deliberate destruction or damage of territories taken under state protection and objects of the nature reserve fund."

The press service of Kirovohrad Regional Prosecutor's Office also emphasized that prosecutors sent two lawsuits to the court regarding the return from private ownership of 3.4 hectares of land of the nature reserve fund worth more than UAH 13 million. In 2017, the local self-government body transferred land plots located on the territory of the protected tract to two local residents through free privatization.

Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that in Kirovohrad region eco-inspectors recorded 2 facts of illegal mining by subsoil user enterprises outside their mining concessions, which caused losses of more than UAH 18 million.

As EcoPolitic previously reported, the Economic Court of the Kyiv region returned 267 valuable forests of the reserve to the state of national significance "Unava Tract" and Bilotserkiv Forest Farm. LLC "Allground" wanted to build cottages on the site of the forest.

Related
Communities in the Kharkiv region are refusing to allow environmentalists to establish protected areas
Communities in the Kharkiv region are refusing to allow environmentalists to establish protected areas

The Regional State Administration even went so far as to break the law by failing to provide either comments or approval of the applications

A major clean-up in Holosiivskyi Park: Kyiv residents are invited to join the initiative on 20 June
A major clean-up in Holosiivskyi Park: Kyiv residents are invited to join the initiative on 20 June

The organisers provide a transfer from Kyiv to the national park and back

What will ‘Black Forest’ – the first national park in the Kirovohrad region – be like?
What will ‘Black Forest’ – the first national park in the Kirovohrad region – be like?

Scientists established the need to protect these areas as long as 100 years ago

Environmental crime round-up: poaching worth millions, deforestation and pollution caused by negligence
Environmental crime round-up: poaching worth millions, deforestation and pollution caused by negligence

To dispose of waste secretly, a cheese factory in Vinnytsia used a hidden network of pipes