Hot on the heels: an official and a businessman were detained for illegal felling of oak trees

Investigators of the State Bureau of Investigation have uncovered a criminal group that organized a large-scale business in the illegal logging of oak trees in several Ukrainian regions. The group’s activities caused significant losses for Ukraine, and the felled timber was legalized through the use of fictitious documents and shell companies.

SBI specialists focus on combating corruption and illegal logging in the forestry sector, drawing attention to abuses at both the local forestry and central management levels. Recently, numerous cases of corruption within the management of state forestry enterprises, as well as schemes to illegally legalize timber, have been recorded.

The latest investigation revealed that the criminal scheme operated in six regions — Volyn, Lviv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, and Zakarpattia. A prominent businessman, the owner of two wood-processing enterprises, agreed with an official from the “Central Forest Office” to cut down oak trees without proper accounting. All illegally obtained trees were sold outside the system, and the businessman systematically paid bribes.

To cover up their criminal actions, the businessman’s employees produced forged documents to confirm the wood’s legal origin. The wood was repeatedly resold between companies, and after processing, it was exported abroad through a third company registered in the name of a businessman friend.

In October 2025, the businesspeople carried out a new illegal operation, as a result of which the businessman handed over a bribe of more than 2 million hryvnias to the official for the cutting down of 98 cubic meters of oak forest. Both were detained while transferring the money.

Suspicions have already been raised: the businessman faces liability under Part 3 of Art. 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (providing unlawful benefit), and the official, under Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (obtaining unlawful benefit in a considerable amount). A petition has been filed with the court to take them into custody and seize their property.

The investigation is ongoing, and it is identifying other participants in the crime, including legal and accounting specialists, lawyers, and forestry workers who contributed to the illegal scheme. The Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office is responsible for the procedural management of the case.