Law enforcement officials have uncovered a large-scale scheme to destroy trees in the Medobory Nature Reserve in Ternopil region. The irony is that the organizer was the head of one of the environmental protection divisions, whose job was supposed to be the opposite – to protect the forest from destruction. Six accomplices have received notices of suspicion.
This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
The essence of the scheme and concealing the evidence
According to investigators, the organizer, an environmental officer, involved a subordinate inspector as well as local residents in the illegal activity. The unauthorized logging continued from November 2025 to March 2026.
The locations for the illegal logging were areas where tree cutting is strictly prohibited by law. The felled trunks were sawn into logs on site and then removed from the scene. The accomplices stored the timber on their own residential properties.
Of course, all this was done for illegal profit, since the stolen timber was sold to local entrepreneurs. The price for wood harvested in the reserve was below the market rate. The criminal proceeds were divided among the participants.
“The organizers used their official knowledge of the reserve’s territory to select logging sites, recruit executors, and provide them with chainsaws, fuel, and transportation. To conceal the crimes, the stumps were disguised with branches and soil,” the SBI said.
Environmental damage and liability
Investigators documented eight separate episodes of illegal logging, resulting in more than 50 trees – ash, oak, larch, and other species – being destroyed. Preliminary estimates show that the state suffered damage of nearly 6.2 million UAH.
Notices of suspicion were issued to the head of the unit, an inspector, and four civilian men. Their roles vary, so their actions are classified under different articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. These include illegal logging, transportation, storage, and sale of unlawfully felled trees within the territory of the nature reserve fund. The offenses are classified as having been committed by an organized group and causing serious consequences.
The accomplices face up to seven years in prison.
EcoPolitic previously reported that crimes committed by forestry officials cause environmental damage amounting to hundreds of millions of hryvnias. According to the SBI, in 2025 this figure was 546 million in losses. The most common types of violations include illegal logging, falsification of documents, and concealing the destruction of forests.
