In 2025 and 2026, the State Customs Service of Ukraine and law enforcement agencies uncovered falsified data in 657 certificates of timber origin, preventing irregularities totalling 158 million hryvnias (3.11 million euros). Exporters attempted to ship timber out of the country using documents issued for other types of cargo.
To combat the illegal timber trade, Ukraine introduced an electronic certification system, creating the country's first digital chain for tracking timber from the felling site to export. However, the system faced internal corruption – the system's developer made unauthorised changes to data, altering waybills and registers in exchange for 'fees' of 5,000–30,000 hryvnias (approximately 100–600 euros). As a result, 13 employees of state-owned enterprises are under suspicion.
The Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine (ESBU) is actively referring cases to court against exporters in various regions – Vinnytsia, Odesa, Chernivtsi, and Lviv – who have falsified documents to illegally export oak, ash, and pine timber to Turkey and Moldova.
Long-standing problems in the Ukrainian forestry sector
The Ukrainian forestry sector has long faced issues with illegal logging and smuggling activities. The British non-profit organisation Earthsight reported as early as 2018 that Ukraine was potentially the largest source of illegal timber in the European Union.
Current digital solutions and stepped-up controls are part of Ukraine's efforts to bring the sector into compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Thanks to the new e-tracking system, the European Commission has assessed Ukraine as a low-risk country for timber exports to the European Union, which is the highest possible status. The experimental electronic certificate project in the country has been extended until June 2027 in order to completely eradicate the 'shadow' trade.
Results
The Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine continues to investigate and refer to court several regional schemes involving both businesspeople and local officials. The volumes of illegal timber detected are often small, yet this approach demonstrates the determination of the Ukrainian authorities to fundamentally eradicate any illegal activities.
For example, in the Vinnytsia region, an oak timber exporter falsified supporting documents to obtain a legitimate certificate of origin and illegally transport 44.6 cubic metres of sawn timber to Turkey. The case has been referred to court. In the Odesa region, a local village council deputy and two accomplices organised a scheme by falsifying certificates of origin and regularly changing border crossing points to avoid the attention of law enforcement. In this way, they managed to export almost 115 cubic metres of timber to Moldova via the Starokazachye checkpoint before being apprehended.
A much larger scheme was uncovered in the Chernivtsi region, which also involved forestry officials. The organisers purchased unregistered, illegally obtained roundwood, used falsified origin documents to obtain export certificates, and transported the timber to Moldova. During 26 searches, law enforcement officers confiscated approximately 1,000 cubic metres of timber. In the Lviv region, the ESBU discovered that an oak exporter had obtained certificates using forged documents. Law enforcement managed to seize 22.6 cubic metres of timber that had already passed customs control. In Kyiv, law enforcement carried out more than 60 searches, shutting down a scheme where high-value timber – oak, ash, and pine – was purchased for cash and moved using forged transport documents.
All of the described schemes are united by attempts to circumvent the electronic tracking system, either with the help of corrupt employees who made unauthorised changes to the system for a fee, or by physically forging paper documents before they were digitised. Even in wartime, Ukrainians are carrying out strict controls and do not tolerate the theft of state-owned timber or the existence of criminal schemes.