In the Carpathian region, officials from the Ukrainian Forestry Agency are suspected of illegally selling timber
In the Carpathian region, law enforcement officials exposed two officials from the Ivano-Frankivsk Forest District, a branch of the “Carpathian Forest Office” of the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine.” According to the investigation, they sold timber to business owners off the books and accepted money in return. Both men were detained during the handover of another 80,000 hryvnias.
According to the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office, a 35-year-old assistant to the branch director and his 51-year-old subordinate, a forester, may have been involved in the scheme. Investigators believe they organized the illegal sale of unrecorded timber. The scheme operated during regular timber allocations, which the businessmen purchased through official channels.
According to law enforcement, logs that were not listed in the documents were additionally loaded onto the logging trucks. Each such shipment consisted of approximately four cubic meters of unaccounted-for timber. To prevent the illegal cargo from being detected during inspections, the unmarked logs were hidden among the officially marked timber.
How the scheme worked
Law enforcement officials documented several incidents involving the head of a local private company. The woman purchased timber through electronic auctions. In 2025, her company officially purchased unprocessed timber from the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Forestry Administration. When the director approached the assistant to the branch manager to arrange for the release of the goods, he, according to investigators, cited long lines and lengthy wait times.
At the same time, the official offered an alternative. In exchange for money, he allegedly promised to expedite the procedure and also to sell an additional quantity of timber without holding an auction. According to the investigation, the man enlisted the help of his subordinate—a forester at one of the region’s forest districts—in the scheme. The forester was supposed to organize the release of timber that the company had officially purchased, as well as transfer unaccounted-for timber to the buyer.
They paid 30,000 hryvnias for one shipment
In February 2026, the company’s director again purchased 80 cubic meters of unprocessed spruce from the state enterprise “Forests of Ukraine.” According to the case file, when this timber was being loaded onto logging trucks, an additional 18 logs were loaded. Their total volume was 6.5 cubic meters, but this timber was not accounted for in the official documents.
Each illegally sold cubic meter, according to the investigation, was valued at 4,200 hryvnias. Law enforcement officials also documented the transfer of money. On April 28, the company’s director, according to the prosecutor’s office, gave the forester 30,000 hryvnias in illicit benefits. According to the investigation, the scheme did not end there.
They received 80,000 hryvnias for a new batch of timber
In August–September 2026, according to law enforcement, the suspects again sold unaccounted-for timber to the same company. This time, the shipment consisted of nearly 20 cubic meters of timber. According to the investigation, the officials received 80,000 hryvnias for it.
It was during the transfer of these funds that law enforcement officers detained both men. Following the detention, investigators conducted searches. These were carried out in the suspects’ vehicle and at their residences, as well as on the premises of various institutions. During the searches, they seized cash, cell phones, and documents that may be relevant to the investigation.
Officials Were Notified of the Charges
On September 29, 2026, prosecutors from the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office notified both men of the charges against them. They are charged with extortion and the receipt of unlawful benefits by a public official under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The court ordered the suspects to be held in pretrial detention. However, they may be released from the detention center if they post bail. For one suspect, bail was set at 200,000 hryvnias; for the other, 266,000 hryvnias. Additionally, at the prosecutors’ request, the court suspended both men from their positions.
What Will Happen to the Illegal Timber
Law enforcement officials seized all the unaccounted-for timber that, according to the investigation, the officials had managed to sell. The timber was also placed under seizure. Prosecutors are now determining exactly where this timber came from and how it entered illegal circulation.
The pretrial investigation is ongoing. It is being conducted by investigators from the Fifth Investigative Department of the Territorial Directorate of the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR), located in Lviv and operating out of Ivano-Frankivsk. It is important to note that at this stage, these are merely allegations. The court will ultimately determine the officials’ actions. This was reported by the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
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