Almost 23 million for deforested forests and polluted territories: serious environmental violations are being exposed in the Zhytomyr region
Thanks to the joint efforts of the State Environmental Inspectorate of the Polesie District and the Prosecutor’s Office, officials of the forestry sector who caused losses to the state of almost 23 million hryvnias were identified. In addition, the head of the municipal enterprise will stand trial for land pollution, facing a fine of approximately a million hryvnias. This confirms the persistent work of law enforcement agencies to preserve the environment.
Forest fraud: the story of “Grozynsky” in a million-dollar scandal
The State Environmental Inspectorate of the Polesie District, together with the Prosecutor’s Office, exposed officials who caused significant losses to the state. According to information from the Zhytomyr Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the amount of losses is about 23 million hryvnias.
This situation began in June 2023, when environmental inspectors conducted an unscheduled inspection on the territory of the State Enterprise “Grozynsky” in the Korosten District. The inspection was initiated by order of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine. During the inspection, numerous violations of environmental legislation were revealed, in particular regarding the protection and restoration of forests.
According to the analysis, a significant part of the damage caused to nature as a result of illegal logging amounted to almost 14 million 683 thousand hryvnias. This indicates the scale of illegal activity.
A critical stage was that at the end of May 2025, the State Environmental Inspectorate of the Polissya District won the lawsuit to recover this amount from the State Enterprise “Grozynske”. This is an essential step towards restoring justice and punishing the guilty.
The head of the landfill is on trial for pollution.
In addition to forest fraud, the State Environmental Inspectorate of the Polissya District achieved another success in environmental protection. The prosecutor’s office sent an indictment to the court against the head of the solid waste landfill of the KP “Autotransportne predpriyatie 0628” of the Zhytomyr City Council.
Based on the study of soil and water samples conducted during an unscheduled inspection, it was revealed that the state suffered losses of over 837.7 thousand hryvnias due to violations of environmental legislation.
The landfill manager is accused of failing to ensure the protection of forestry lands bordering the landfill, which resulted in their pollution and caused environmental damage of 840 thousand hryvnias. This is a signal that everyone is responsible for the state of the environment.
Joint efforts in the fight for a clean environment
The State Environmental Inspectorate emphasizes that results are achieved thanks to close cooperation with the prosecutor’s office, police, and the public. “Together with the prosecutor’s office, police, and the public, we detect environmental crimes and fight for a clean and safe environment,” the State Environmental Inspectorate of the Polesie District notes.
These events in the Zhytomyr region demonstrate that environmental crimes do not go unpunished, and the fight for clean air, water, and land in Ukraine continues. This is an essential step towards holding all those who harm nature accountable for their actions.
