EcoPolitic has compiled for its readers the top 9 large-scale cases of environmental damage reported by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the press services of prosecutors, and the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine and its units during the week of March 29-April 4.
1. In the Kharkiv region, SBI officers served a notice of suspicion to a forester of the Chemuzhiv forestry. Due to his inactivity and negligence, “black loggers” cut down almost a hundred hardwood trees worth almost UAH 1 million in the areas under his control.
Photo: dbr.gov.ua.
The official now faces a prison sentence of up to 5 years. To compensate for the damage, the issue of seizing his property is being decided.
Photo: dbr.gov.ua.
2. The current deputy of the Karapchivska rural territorial community in Bukovyna will be brought to court. He is accused under the same Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine as the previous forester from Kharkiv region.
Investigators found out that in early 2023, the deputy also held the position of forest master at the Chernivtsi Forestry. The man was negligent in his duties, failed to properly protect the forest and did not inform law enforcement about the facts of illegal logging.
Photo: chrn.gp.gov.ua.
As a result, unknown persons cut down hundreds of hornbeams, oaks, linden trees and other trees on the territory of the forestry with impunity. The amount of damage caused to the state is more than UAH 1.5 million.
Currently, the official no longer works in the forestry industry.
3. A criminal group will be tried for illegal extraction of groundwater with losses of more than UAH 6 million. It was organized by a former deputy of the Mykolaiv City Council and now a lawyer. He involved 3 accomplices in the illegal activity.
In 2023, they extracted groundwater without any permits, packaged it and sold it to the public and individual consumers. They face 5 to 8 years in prison for their actions.
4. In Sumy region, the chief forester of one of the subsidiary agroforestry enterprises of Sumyoblagrolis will be tried. As EcoPolitic previously reported, in September 2021, in preparation for the clear felling of the main use, he incorrectly determined the boundaries of the logging areas: he allocated two adjacent areas for logging without complying with the requirements for the minimum distance between logging areas.
Prosecutors argue that the chief forester had the opportunity to detect the violations on the spot, as the actual distance between the logging areas is 110 meters less than the normatively defined distance, so it is visible to the naked eye. Despite this, the suspect prepared a package of documents and received a logging ticket. Subsequently, 473 trees were cut down on these forest plots on an area of 1 hectare and 0.5 hectares, respectively. This caused damage to the environment in the amount of almost UAH 7.6 million.
5. In Ternopil region, members of another criminal group of “black loggers” were served with a notice of suspicion, involving a forester of the Kremenets Forestry branch of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” and three residents of the Terebovlyanska ATC.
Between April and August 2024, they cut down trees on the territory of one of the forestries of the Kremenets Forestry branch without any permits. The traces of fresh felling were masked by forest litter. The wood was cut into logs and transported to the territory of one of the enterprises in Ternopil district, where it was sawn, sorted and stored to be sold later. They caused environmental damage worth over UAH 3.3 million.
6. In Bukovyna, two residents of the village of Mykhalkove, Dniester district, who were engaged in poaching and caused more than UAH 1.1 million in environmental damage, will be tried. In January, they used four nets to catch crayfish and fish, including those listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, on the Dniester Reservoir without a permit.
Photo: chrn.gp.gov.ua.
Photo: chrn.gp.gov.ua.
7. A forester of the Havrylivka forestry in Kherson region will be brought to court for negligence, which caused damage to the state in excess of UAH 4 million.
Throughout 2020, he failed to fulfill his duties to protect forests, did not document the facts of illegal logging, and did not ensure that the perpetrators were brought to justice. As a result, timber was illegally cut down on the territory of the forestry without appropriate permits, which led to serious consequences for the state interests.
For his actions, the defendant faces imprisonment for a term of 2 to 5 years with disqualification to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to 3 years with or without a fine of 250 to 750 tax-free minimum incomes.
8. Prosecutors of the Oleksandriya District Prosecutor's Office sent to court an indictment against two poachers who were operating at the Kamianske Reservoir of the Dnipro River in the village of Vlasivka of the Svitlovodsk territorial community of the Oleksandriya district of Kirovohrad region.
They caused damage to water resources in the amount of over UAH 1 million. The defendants now face imprisonment for up to 3 years.
9. Environmental inspectors of the Central District calculated damages totaling more than UAH 7.6 million for illegal fishing by unidentified persons in the waters of the Kremenchuk Reservoir within the Sulynskyi Landscape Reserve in Poltava Oblast. They sent the materials to the police.
Last week, in our weekly digest, we also reported on organized criminal groups involved in illegal logging.
