The former head of the Main Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Ivano-Frankivsk region has been charged with committing serious crimes that caused significant damage to the state, the Prosecutor General's Office reports.
According to the investigation, in August 2023, the official, having exceeded his official powers, organized large-scale illegal logging under the guise of conducting firefighting exercises for personnel. More than 100 employees of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service were involved in the so-called “work”.
Illegal logging was carried out outside the village of Nova Huta in the Yamnytsia community, on an area of over 112 hectares, which is part of the "Black Forest" general zoological reserve, part of the nature reserve fund of Ukraine.
Law enforcement officers qualified the official's actions under Part 3 of Article 365 and Part 4 of Article 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - abuse of authority by a law enforcement officer and illegal logging.
According to preliminary estimates by experts, the state suffered losses of at least 7.3 million hryvnias.
This is official information confirmed by the Prosecutor General's Office. The case is being investigated by the relevant authorities, and further details may be made public after the pre-trial investigation is completed.
