In the capital, the director of the Department of Environmental Protection and Climate Change Adaptation of the Kyiv City State Administration, Oleksandr Vozny, was dismissed. The wording is traditional: “by agreement of the parties.” However, for the Kyiv eco-community, this event has a different meaning — as the end of a period of sabotage of environmental initiatives and silencing of critical problems.
Vozny has headed the department since 2021. During this time, there have been public presentations and the launch of an air monitoring system. But against the backdrop of formal actions, there has been complete passivity regarding real threats to the capital's environment.
Among the accusations that have repeatedly been made by activists and deputies of the Kyiv City Council:
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lack of adequate response to a large-scale fire in the Osokorki ecosystems;
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ignoring the situation with illegal construction on Trukhanov Island and Lysia Hora;
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obstructing initiatives to preserve the natural reserve fund;
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Silence about the destruction of green areas in the city.
In fact, the department that was supposed to be the city's protector of nature has become a background institution — against the backdrop of rapid development and increasing climate challenges.
Vozny's dismissal came amid a general decline in trust in the Kyiv city administration. Other scandals have also been in the spotlight in recent months, including an "elite party" at a critical infrastructure facility on a day of mourning, hosted by First Deputy Mayor Mykola Povoroznyk, and a video of a drunken party in the Tourism Department office, which sparked a wave of public outrage.
It is currently unknown who will head the environmental department instead of Vozny. However, experts are already warning: there is almost no time left for decisions in this area - construction is in full swing. If it continues to delay, Kyiv risks losing even more valuable natural areas.
