The State Bureau of Investigation has concluded its investigation into the case of illegal logging in the Zhytomyr region
Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) have completed a pretrial investigation into an organized group engaged in illegal logging in the Zhytomyr region. The agency noted that it systematically uncovers crimes involving the embezzlement of natural resources by public officials.
The group consisted of a forester and a forest supervisor from the Bykiv Forest District of the Baranivka Regional Forest Administration, a branch of the “Capital Forest Office” of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine,” as well as a private entrepreneur and his employee.
A local businessman organized the illegal operation in March 2025. Under the scheme, the forester identified the trees to be cut down, while the forest supervisor and other accomplices carried out the actual logging. The timber was then transported to a sawmill owned by the private entrepreneur. He processed the materials and sold them, and the proceeds were divided among all participants in the scheme.
The illegal felling of 60 pine trees was documented. The losses incurred by the state amount to over 1.3 million hryvnias.
In January 2026, all individuals involved in the case were notified of the charges against them. The forester has since been dismissed from his position.
Source: State Bureau of Investigation
Earlier, the State Bureau of Investigation detained an official at the Black Sea Port for extorting 500,000.
On August 20, 2026, the State Bureau of Investigation launched a special operation involving 21 criminal proceedings, during which 72 searches are being conducted in various regions of Ukraine. Based on the results of the investigation, law enforcement officials plan to notify 22 individuals that they are under suspicion.
