The State Bureau of Investigation has launched a special operation called "Green Shield" to combat illegal logging and corruption

On October 7, the State Bureau of Investigations launched a special operation called “Green Shield” in the forestry sector. Law enforcement officials will be cracking down on illegal logging, timber theft, and corruption schemes.

 

“As part of the special operation, investigative actions are being conducted in a number of criminal cases, based on the results of which appropriate procedural decisions will be made. In certain cases, indictments are expected to be filed with the court,” according to a statement on the SBI’s website.

The measures target both forestry workers and senior officials at state-owned enterprises.

The Bureau notes that this special operation is a continuation of the DBR’s systematic efforts to expose criminal schemes in various sectors.

“Previously, the Bureau launched the special operations ‘Honest Draft’—against abuses during mobilization and military registration, ‘Justice for Soldiers’—against abuses in military units, and ‘Stop Trafficking’—to shut down channels for the illegal trafficking of weapons, ammunition, and drugs. Work in these areas is ongoing,” the State Bureau of Investigation notes.

According to the report, the new special operation focuses on schemes through which the state loses forest resources and millions of hryvnias.

“This involves the felling of healthy trees under the guise of sanitary logging, the illegal sale of timber at below-market prices, the reuse of documents to export unaccounted-for timber, as well as the embezzlement of funds from state-owned enterprises,” the statement emphasizes.

According to the Bureau, investigators are establishing the circumstances of illegal logging—particularly in nature conservation areas—as well as timber embezzlement and fictitious employment; the State Bureau of Investigation is examining the role of officials who organized such schemes or facilitated their operation.

These measures are being carried out in cooperation with the National Police under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General and the relevant prosecutor’s offices.

The DBR will report on the results of the “Green Shield” special operation after the initial investigative actions are completed.

Previously, the DBR exposed a patrol officer who organized a trip to Poland for $7,000.

In the Khmelnytskyi region, a woman embezzled nearly 8,000 euros from her own daughter.

Fake electricity bills: how to avoid falling for scammers’ tricks.

Scammers intimidated a 13-year-old daughter of a military officer and swindled $54,000 from her.