The Shatskyi District Court of the Volyn region announced a verdict in a case of large-scale illegal logging. Roman S., a 41-year-old head of the border guard department, was on trial, having been recognized as the organizer of a scheme to illegally harvest and sell wood. Despite the scale of the losses and the involvement of several accomplices, the accused received only 1.5 years of probation.
According to the verdict of November 21, in January 2025, the official organized illegal logging in the Rostan Forestry Department. To hide the activity, the trees were cut in areas where there were official permits for harvesting, which allowed to mask the volume of logging. The wood was transported by GAZ truck and excavator, and then sawn at private sawmills in the villages of Ostrivya and Melnyky.
The investigation established that the border guard involved a forester in the scheme, who provided access to the plots and warned about possible inspections. The owners of the sawmills accepted illegally harvested wood, sawed it and sold it. For each cubic meter, the participants in the scheme received 2,000 UAH.
Law enforcement officers documented at least three episodes of illegal activity — on January 29, February 8, and March 5. Dozens of pine, oak, birch, and alder trees were destroyed beyond the permitted limits. The wood was sold to both private households and recreation complexes.
The scheme was uncovered after one of the accomplices contacted law enforcement and agreed to cooperate with the investigation.
Judge Nataliya Zhevnerova found Roman S. guilty of illegal logging and misappropriation of other people's property, committed as part of a group by prior conspiracy (Part 3 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 246, Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). However, the court released him from the actual punishment, assigning him a 1.5-year probationary period.
The verdict can be appealed.
