Industry representatives warn of weaker amber controls — The Japan Times

In Ukraine, illegal amber mining continues to damage forests, while oversight of the industry has weakened under martial law. As The Japan Times reports, Oleh Bohelskyi, co-owner of Amber Galbin, estimates the share of unregistered, or “gray,” amber in Ukraine’s total production at 60–70%.

According to the publication, for years major illegal miners controlled by criminal groups used motor pumps to extract amber. After such operations, coniferous forests in Rivne region were left with stumps, small shrubs and waterlogged areas. There is significant demand for amber for jewelry and other goods, including in China.

Regulation and inspections

In 2019, Ukraine adopted a law regulating amber extraction. It provided for less destructive methods and extraction by excavators under approved plans. Permits were mainly issued for sites already damaged by illegal mining, while private companies were required to restore the land after operations.

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Official exports of raw amber increased from 0.61 tonnes in 2020 to 88.83 tonnes in 2025, according to State Customs Service data cited by The Japan Times. At the same time, martial law introduced after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 led to the suspension of scheduled inspections and environmental audits, limiting regulators’ ability to monitor the situation on the ground.

Proceedings over illegal mining

Mykola Kotniuk, head of the Amber Business Association of Ukraine, suggested that some subsoil users may abuse their position. In particular, this concerns the possible extraction of amber by companies that have permits only for exploratory or prospecting work. Andrii Lototskyi, director of Sonyachne Remeslo, said that cases of overt illegal mining using pumps are now isolated.

According to Borys Indychenko, head of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office, 369 investigations into the illegal extraction and storage of amber have been launched in Ukraine since 2024. One of them concerns a group exposed in June 2026: according to investigators, it was led by a local official, and environmental damage is estimated at about $8 million.