An organized criminal group was exposed in Transcarpathia, which carried out illegal logging, causing damage to the environment of more than 12 million hryvnias. According to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the illegal scheme operated in the Brusturyansk forestry and hunting farm. The head of the forestry farm, together with subordinate forest masters and a leading engineer, falsified documents, which allowed the felling of trees that did not fall under any legal logging.
According to current regulations, thinning is only allowed for trees under 40 years old and can be carried out once every 5-10 years. However, officials violated these rules by preparing four areas of the forest for felling that were supposed to remain untouched. As a result of the criminal actions, 1,369 trees were cut down, among which valuable species prevailed - spruce and beech.
The scheme worked according to a simple but effective scheme. The head of the forestry enterprise gave illegal orders, foresters carried out fictitious tree removals, and the leading engineer issued logging permits that allowed logging without legal grounds. According to the expert's conclusions, their actions caused damage to the natural environment in the amount of more than 12 million hryvnias.
All participants in the criminal scheme have already been notified of suspicion under Part 4 of Article 246 (illegal logging) and Part 3 of Article 365 (abuse of official authority, resulting in grave consequences) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. If they are proven guilty in court, they face up to 10 years in prison.
This case highlights systemic problems in the control of forest resources in Ukraine. Illegal logging continues to cause significant damage to the environment, and corruption schemes in the forestry sector require a tough response from law enforcement.
