The court has imposed preventive measures on the director general of "Forests of Ukraine" as well.
Although the European Union has classified Ukraine as a "low risk" country in the field of forestry, prosecutors report that the losses caused by illegal deforestation in Ukraine have reached 8.415 million euros this year.
As Ukraine is caught up in a prolonged war, its vast forest resources help sustain the economy in conditions that are critical for the country. An investigation by Ukraine's Specialised Environmental Prosecutor's Office has uncovered large-scale illegal deforestation, organised with the involvement of senior staff at Ukraine's Forestry Innovation and Analytical Centre (LIAC) and the state enterprise "Forests of Ukraine". Prosecutors point out that this scheme alone has caused environmental and economic losses of more than 167 million hryvnia (4 million euros).
As Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko acknowledges, the central element of the criminal network was the systematic manipulation of data in Ukraine's timber register. Investigators point out that a LIAC specialist, at the request of "Forests of Ukraine" staff, altered entries in Ukraine's Unified State Electronic Timber Accounting System: "At the request of "Forests of Ukraine" staff, the LIAC employee changed the information – deleting documents on the origin of the timber, reducing its volume and changing its quality class."
Facts falsified in more than 10,000 cases
The available information indicates that between 2021 and 2024 law enforcement authorities documented more than 10,000 cases in which data were falsified. Each alteration cost up to 30,000 hryvnia (~720 euros), generating illegal profits worth more than 10 million euros for those involved. Most of the offences took place in the Volyn, Rivne, Zhytomyr and Kyiv regions.
A report published in 2024, "How corruption threatens Ukraine's forests: a typology and case study of corruption and illegal logging", highlighted the difficulties facing President V. Zelensky's government in tackling illegal logging and deforestation in Ukraine.
In the fight against illegal logging, 40 decisions to open official investigations have been taken in recent weeks. Eight LIAC specialists and five employees of the state enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" have been charged. Law enforcement authorities have carried out 50 searches and detained the organiser of the scheme and three suspected accomplices.
The 40 cases involve 21 employees of "Forests of Ukraine", and two people have been arrested. The court has imposed preventive measures on the director general of "Forests of Ukraine" over suspected illicit enrichment, while an investigation has been opened against the former director of the Kostopil forestry district over suspected enrichment and false declaration of assets.
Further charges have been brought in connection with illegal deforestation...
The director and an engineer of the Turiisk forestry district are accused of the illegal felling of 409 trees; a forester of the Svydovets forestry district is accused of issuing a logging permit within the territory of a nature reserve; the director of the Dniprovske forestry district is accused of negligence in allowing logging in a landscape park; and an employee of the Hrozyne forestry district and a company manager are accused of carrying out illegal logging in Zhytomyr. Four forestry district directors in the Lviv region are alleged to have unlawfully issued permits to fell more than 9,500 trees. An employee of the Lazeshchyna forestry department is accused of aiding and abetting the illegal felling of around 3,400 trees.
The prosecution service is working to restore respect for the law in the forestry sector
In 2025 alone, Ukrainian prosecutors have filed more than 300 claims concerning illegal activities across 7,511 hectares of forest land. Total losses caused by illegal logging this year are estimated at 351 million hryvnia (8.4 million euros). The operation carried out by law enforcement authorities is one of the most significant anti-corruption initiatives implemented in Ukraine's forestry sector to date. Ukraine's prosecution service is working to restore respect for the law in the forestry sector and to protect state-owned forest resources from plunder and illegal activity.