In Kyiv, high-ranking officials from the municipal sector will stand trial for gross violation of environmental legislation. The Solomiansky District Prosecutor's Office has filed an indictment against the head of the Kyivavtodor Municipal Corporation and the former head of the Solomiansky District Municipal Committee for Urban Development, whose actions led to the pollution of the green zone - the Balka Pronya Park.
This is a plot of land near Kadetskyi Gay Street, which according to the detailed plan of the territory belongs to the park. Instead of preserving the nature reserve, municipal services used it as an illegal landfill, in particular by dumping construction waste, road structures, concrete blocks and other waste there.
Specialists of the State Environmental Inspectorate recorded the fact of pollution and littering with environmentally hazardous materials. As a result, the prosecutor's office not only brought charges of official negligence, but also filed a lawsuit demanding that officials compensate for the damage caused to the natural environment and the community of Kyiv.
The Northern District Court of Appeal has already upheld the first instance decision, which ordered the Solomiansky District Municipal Economic Development Corporation to eliminate the unauthorized landfill and eliminate violations of environmental legislation. However, criminal liability for official negligence may become the next stage in the case.
The scandal with "Balka Pronya" exposed a systemic problem - the impunity of municipal enterprises for using the capital's green areas as landfills for waste. Despite the official status of the park, instead of a recreational space, residents of the area have been observing the accumulation of garbage for years. Now the prosecutor's office insists that those responsible for the damage must respond not only by restoring the territory, but also by providing financial compensation.
This case could set a precedent for other environmental violations in the capital, where areas intended for recreation are being turned into technical dumps by those who should be protecting them.
