In Bukovina, a former village head has been charged with illegal logging in the Zubrovytsia Nature Reserve
In Bukovina, the former forester of the Dolishniy Shepit Forest District of the Berehomet Forestry Enterprise has been notified that he is suspected of organizing large-scale illegal logging, including within the nature reserve fund. According to the investigation, the total amount of damages exceeds 7.6 million hryvnias.
This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
According to investigators, the man took office as a forester in November 2020, and within a month had already organized illegal logging.
Between December 2020 and February 2021, 365 trees were illegally cut down on the territory of the “Zubrovytsia” nature reserve of local significance. The amount of damage caused exceeded 3.5 million hryvnias.
The State Environmental Inspection of the Carpathian District issued an order to halt the work; however, according to the investigation, these requirements were ignored.
Subsequently, between February and October 2021, tree felling continued outside the boundaries of the nature reserve.
In this instance, an additional 244 trees were felled, and the environmental damage exceeded 4.1 million hryvnias.
In total, according to the investigation, more than 600 trees were destroyed as a result of these illegal actions.
The Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor’s Office notified the former forest ranger of his status as a suspect in the abuse of official authority and illegal logging within the nature reserve.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Within the territory of the Vyzhnytskyi National Nature Park, law enforcement officials uncovered a scheme of illegal timber harvesting disguised as sanitary logging. The former foreman of the Berehomet Forestry has already been notified of suspicion of abuse of official authority and illegal logging within the protected area.
In 2024, law enforcement officers in the Chernivtsi region exposed a former chief forester—the first deputy director of the Berehomet Forestry and Hunting Enterprise—who organized the illegal felling of trees in the Vyzhnytskyi National Nature Park.
Ihor Litsur, executive director of the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine,” declared an annual salary of nearly 19 million hryvnias, as well as significant additional income and cash savings. At the same time, his declaration includes real estate purchased at prices that differ significantly from market rates. Separately, the official had previously been suspected of official negligence.
Also in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, the prosecutor’s office is seeking through the courts nearly 387 million hryvnias in compensation for damages caused by logging in the “Hutsulshchyna” National Park. The investigation claims that under the guise of sanitary work, more than 9,000 trees were destroyed there without the necessary permits and approvals. Now, they are attempting to place the blame on the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine,” to which the relevant forestry enterprise was later merged.
