The Polissia Forest Office branch of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” ordered a private enterprise to cut trees with a brush cutter on the territory of the Manevychi superforestry and has to pay UAH 5.7 million for it.
This is reported by the Sila Pravdy Center for Investigative Journalism with reference to the contract based on the results of the tender of the Polissia Forest Office branch, which is posted in the Prozorro public procurement system.
Who got the order for almost UAH 6 million?
The contractor was Kairos Production and Commercial Company LLC, which was the only participant that registered for the open tender. The company was founded in Lutsk in May 2022. The main economic activity of the company is “Sawmilling and planing production”.
According to journalists, this company is owned by Ihor Nevar, a former official of the Main Department of the State Tax Service in Volyn Oblast.
Foresters will purchase 2 types of services from his company:
- care for forest crops using a brush cutter on 920 hectares;
- care for natural regeneration using the same brushcutter on 450 hectares.
On May 16, the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine”, represented by the director of the Polissia Forestry Office Serhiy Chupryna, signed an agreement with VKK Kairos. However, the amount was higher than the tender, which stated almost UAH 4 million 777 thousand. The contract states UAH 5 million 729 thousand, as the parties added value added tax to the expected price, as previously stipulated in the tender documents.
Why this deal raises suspicions of corruption
According to Kairos's reports, as of 2024, the company had 34 employees. At the same time, as of the beginning of 2025, 163 people worked in the Manevychi superforestry. That is, the company, which has almost five times fewer employees than the supra-forestry, has to perform work on a total area of 1370 hectares.
When asked by journalists why the entrusted forests cannot be taken care of by employees on the payroll, Volodymyr Radion, director of the Manevychi superforestry and a forester with forty years of experience, could not answer.
“Contact the Polissia Forestry Office, there is a press service there. I can't talk,” he said.
Sila Pravdy says that this is not the first time that the Polissia Forestry Office has cooperated with the Kairos Management Company. According to journalists, since the beginning of 2025, this is the second agreement on Manevychi forests. In March, the company was also the only participant in an open tender for the purchase of forest planting and signed an agreement for UAH 3.3 million. At that time, planting each thousand pieces of timber cost the state-owned enterprise from UAH 1290 to 1590. So, in total, in 2025, VKK Kairos and Polissia Forestry Office already have agreements totaling more than UAH 9 million.
The journalists also reminded that last year, law enforcement officers opened a criminal case on the fact of possible misappropriation, embezzlement or seizure of property through abuse of office, which involved VKK Kairos and the Volyn Forestry Office.
“During the pre-trial investigation, it was established that officials of the Volyn Oblast Forestry, in prior conspiracy with officials of contractors, misappropriated funds during logging operations,” reads the ruling of the Lutsk City District Court, which authorized searches at the enterprise.
Recently, EcoPolitic reported that the Asset Recovery and Management Agency will sell the equipment of the mining farm, which was illegally set up in the premises of one of the branches of the state enterprise “Forests of Ukraine”.
