The Cabinet of Ministers has registered a bill in the Verkhovna Rada that provides for a significant increase in fines for pollution of land, air, water, and sea. For certain types of crimes, imprisonment for a term of 5 to 10 years will be provided. This is reported by UNN with reference to draft law No. 15327.
Details
According to the bill, it is proposed to establish that violation of the procedure for conducting an environmental impact assessment, environmental safety requirements during the design, placement, construction, reconstruction, commissioning, operation, and liquidation of enterprises, structures, mobile equipment, and other objects, if it created a danger to human life, health, or the environment, shall be punished by a fine of one thousand to three thousand tax-free minimum incomes of citizens or imprisonment for a term of three to five years.
Deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years or without such may also be applied.
That is, the fine for such a violation is proposed to be set from 17,000 to 51,000 hryvnias. Currently, such a violation provides for imprisonment for a term of five to ten years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years.
For the above actions committed repeatedly or by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, or if they caused substantial damage, it is proposed to establish a fine from 102,000 to 170,000 hryvnias or imprisonment for a term of four to seven years with additional punishment in the form of a ban on holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities.
If such actions caused the death of people, an environmental emergency, or other grave consequences, the government proposes to punish the perpetrators with imprisonment for a term of five to ten years.
The document states that substantial damage is considered damage that is one hundred or more times the tax-free minimum income of citizens.
At the same time, for calculating damages, the tax-free minimum income (NMDC) is not 17 hryvnias, but is tied to the tax social benefit, which equals 50% of the subsistence minimum for an able-bodied person established as of January 1 of the current year.
Since in 2026 the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons is 3,028 UAH, for the qualification of offenses, one NMDC equals 1,514 UAH.
Thus, damages in the amount of 151,401 hryvnias and more will be considered substantial damage.
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The Cabinet of Ministers also proposes to establish liability for evasion of or improper conduct of decontamination or other restoration measures on contaminated territory to liquidate or eliminate the consequences of environmental pollution by a person who is assigned such a duty.
For such a violation, it is proposed to establish a fine from 17,000 to 68,000 hryvnias or imprisonment for a term of three to five years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years or without such.
For repeated actions or committing an offense by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, a fine from 102,000 to 170,000 hryvnias or imprisonment for a term of four to seven years will be provided.
Damage, pollution, and/or littering of land, including with waste, pollutants, or other materials harmful to human life, health, or the environment, if it created a danger to people or the environment, will provide for a fine from 17,000 to 68,000 hryvnias or imprisonment for a term of three to five years with possible additional punishment in the form of a ban on holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities.
For violation of the rules for the protection of waters (water bodies), which caused pollution or littering of surface or groundwater and aquifers, sources of drinking or medicinal waters, or a change in their natural properties, or depletion of water sources, if it created a danger to human life, health, or the environment, it is proposed to establish a fine in the amount of 34,000 hryvnias to 85,000 hryvnias or imprisonment for a term of three to five years.
Deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years or without such will also be provided.
Recall
Ukraine is implementing a new waste management hierarchy and business responsibility. Communities are actively sorting waste and composting despite the shelling.