Ukraine’s natural environment continues to suffer damage following “familiar” patterns—large-scale deforestation due to official corruption and pollution caused by negligence. At the same time, to preserve valuable land, prosecutors are working to uphold the state’s and communities’ ownership rights over these plots, rather than those of private individuals.
EcoPolitic has prepared a digest of environmental violations, with updates on the various stages of their investigations reported between May 2 and May 8. The information for this article comes from official sources of the State Bureau of Investigations, the Office of the Prosecutor General, regional prosecutor’s offices, and the State Environmental Inspection.
The battle for land
Sunflowers and corn from the Chernobyl zone. In a large-scale scheme involving the illegal seizure of land in the exclusion zone, four individuals have been charged by the State Bureau of Investigations. Without any legal basis and using forged documents, a company obtained the right to use 190 hectares of land and cultivated crops there. The former director and owner of the company, as well as the heads of two village councils in the Polissya district of Kyiv Oblast, were involved in the scheme. The state suffered losses of over 86 million hryvnias.
The prosecutor’s office is compelling communities through the courts to exclude self-seeded forests from agricultural lands. In Zhytomyr region, only during April, courts satisfied lawsuits regarding four such plots totaling nearly 900 ha. Prosecutors ensured that the inaction of local councils was recognized as unlawful. The same happened in Cherkasy region. By court decision, the Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi city council is now obliged to consider at its session a motion concerning 212 self-forested sites totaling over 920 ha.
No garages will be allowed on the site of the preserve. In Lviv region, the prosecutor’s office defended the right for 15 ha of the Bilohorshcha Mire protected area to remain in communal ownership. These valuable lands had previously been returned after they were illegally transferred into the private ownership of a service cooperative. The parties involved were dissatisfied with the previous court decision and sought to reclaim the territory, but failed.
Source: Office of the Prosecutor General
In Cherkasy region, it was possible to return 202 ha of the Lebedyne Ozero hydrological reserve to communal ownership. Previously, it had been leased for fish farming, although such activity is illegal in a protected area.
Also in Cherkasy region, the prosecutor’s office is seeking the creation of the Borovychok landscape reserve covering 85 ha. The territory is of conservation value and is part of the Emerald Network, but the decision to establish the reserve has not yet been made.
Illegal logging
Прimosed deforestation under the threat of being reported to law enforcement. The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) uncovered a scheme in which the head of the "Kodyma Forestry" branch and the former head of the "Balta Forestry" branch of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine,", through intimidation, forced 11 forest rangers to illegally cut down trees and sell them for cash. The tribute amounted to 300,000 UAH every month. Refusal resulted in reports filed with the SBI about illegal logging, disguised as actions by an “activist.” The officials received suspicion notices and may face up to ten years in prison.
Illegal logging of trees worth 4.5 million UAH. The acting forest manager of the Kleban Forestry of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" permitted the felling of 140 trees in the Rivne district back in 2025. The official was aware of the crime and the lack of permits for the work. The indictment against the woman was forwarded to the court. She faces up to ten years of imprisonment.
Systematic destruction of forest belts in remote areas. Three “black loggers” from Dnipropetrovsk region were notified of suspicion over tree felling amounting to almost 3 million UAH. The men specifically sought out forest plantations away from roads. Without any permits, they destroyed, transported, and sold the wood. The organizer and three accomplices were notified of the suspicion.
The Uzhansky National Nature Park must compensate 2.6 million UAH in damages caused by illegal logging. This decision was made by the court following the prosecutor's lawsuit. The employees were supposed to protect and preserve the forest stands, but due to their negligence, trees in several sections of the forest fund were destroyed.
Employees of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" also failed to protect reserved forests. In Ivano-Frankivsk region, due to their negligence, valuable tree species were felled in the Kosmatske Forestry, causing losses of 3.2 million UAH. In the neighboring Berezivske Forestry, “black loggers” caused additional damages of 832,000 UAH. Regarding the latter case, the court granted the prosecutor's claim for recovery of funds from the state enterprise. For the first case, the proceedings are still ongoing.
Environmental pollution
A fire at a landfill site in Dnipro resulted in losses of 8 million UAH. According to investigators, this happened due to the official negligence of one of the company's directors. He was responsible for the operation of the landfill, but neither adequate security nor fire safety measures were ensured. The official was notified of the suspicion. The fire occurred in August 2025 and lasted nearly three days. During this time, 1,700 t of hazardous substances were released into the air.
Untreated wastewater – directly into the river. In Vinnytsia region, the municipal utility “Zhmerynkavodokanal” received a claim for polluting the Baran river. According to calculations by the State Environmental Inspectorate, the amount of damages exceeded UAH 3 million.
You can find out about last week’s environmental crimes at this link.
