In Bukovina, a man will stand trial for illegally extracting nearly 660 cubic meters of sand
Prosecutors from the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor’s Office have filed an indictment against a 49-year-old resident of the Chernivtsi District. The man is accused of large-scale illegal extraction of minerals of local significance, under Part 2 of Article 240 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. According to the prosecution, the case involves the illegal extraction of nearly 660 cubic meters of sand outside the quarry.
According to the investigation, the man provided excavator operating services at a sand quarry. The company with which he had entered into a service contract held a special permit for sand extraction, but only within the boundaries of a designated area.
Despite the permit’s restrictions, the man extracted sand from the adjacent territory and sold it.
From December 2025 to June 2026, he illegally extracted nearly 660 cubic meters of sand.
The damage caused to the environment exceeds 780,000 hryvnias.
Under the charges brought against him, the man faces up to three years in prison.
This was reported by the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
In the Khmelnytskyi region, illegal peat extraction worth nearly ₴142 million was uncovered.
In Rivne Oblast, indictments were filed against two men suspected of illegal amber trafficking. Law enforcement officers found over 19 kg of amber worth about 370,000 hryvnias in the possession of one of them, while the other is accused of illegally extracting amber on the territory of the Rivne Nature Reserve.
Previously, law enforcement officials had notified four participants in a scheme to illegally export over 4.7 metric tons of Ukrainian amber of their status as suspects. The amber was smuggled abroad under the guise of amber from Lithuania.
The Khmelnytskyi City and District Court approved plea agreements regarding four members of an organized criminal group who set up a channel for the illegal export of amber to Turkey.
