Officials in Zhytomyr region are suspected of illegal logging worth over 14 million hryvnias
Kyiv • UNN
The former director of a state enterprise, her subordinate, and the head of a private company are suspected of illegally felling over 2,600 valuable trees. The damage to the state is estimated at over 14.6 million hryvnias, and the restoration of the ecosystem will take up to 60 years.
A large-scale illegal logging scheme has been uncovered in the Zhytomyr region. The former director of a state enterprise, along with a subordinate and the head of a private company, organized illegal tree felling worth millions of hryvnias, causing significant damage to the state. This was reported by the Prosecutor General's Office, writes UNN.
Details
Prosecutors from the Zhytomyr Regional Prosecutor's Office, specializing in environmental offenses, have notified three individuals involved in large-scale illegal logging in the region of suspicion. Among the suspects are the former head of the state enterprise "Hrozynske," her subordinate, the head of forestry, and the director of a private enterprise.
According to the investigation materials, it was the ex-head who ordered the start of felling in forest areas that were under the protection of the state enterprise. To implement the scheme, she involved her acquaintances – an official and a businessman – who organized workers and equipment. The perpetrators, as investigators note, did not even suspect that they were working illegally.
Over several months in 2023, more than 2,600 trees of valuable species – pine, oak, and birch – were destroyed in the forest lands. Experts estimated the damages at over 14.6 million hryvnias. To better understand the scale: the deforested area is about 8 hectares, which is equivalent to more than 11 football fields. The restoration of the ecosystem in this area could take from 40 to 60 years.