Two disputed land plots will not be excluded from the "Protasiv Yar" nature reserve in Kyiv. This decision was made by the Northern Commercial Court of Appeal, which dismissed the developer’s appeal.
This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
An attempt to seize a protected area
The company filed a lawsuit seeking to partially overturn the Kyiv City Council’s decision to establish the “Protasiv Yar” landscape reserve of local significance. The case involved two plots totaling 1 hectare, regarding which the plaintiff claimed to have the legal right to use the land but had not given consent for the plots to be included within the reserve’s boundaries.
Initially, the court of first instance ruled these claims unfounded, and later, following the company’s appeal, the appellate court upheld that ruling.
Ecological prosecutors' objections
The Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office raised a number of objections against the plaintiff's arguments. Environmental prosecutors insist that the company has no rights to the disputed land plots, including the right to construct multi-storey buildings there.
In the opinion of the prosecutors, any construction activities on protected natural areas are unacceptable, as they can cause irreparable harm to the local environment.
The court sided with the prosecutors.
It should be recalled that the Kyiv City Council approved the sale of land in the ravine back in 2000 for the construction of a multi-storey residential complex. The local community has actively opposed these plans, and in 2022, the Kyiv Council announced the creation of the "Protasiv Yar" landscape reserve.
However, as early as March 2026, a private company managed through court to exclude 16.5 ha from the protected area. As EcoPolitica reported, the court effectively deprived most of the reserve of its protected status.
The Prosecutor's Office disagrees with this decision; they stated that the company obtained these lands illegally. Therefore, prosecutors announced that they are considering the possibility of a cassation appeal to protect the "Protasiv Yar" reserve.
