Over three years of work, environmental prosecutors expose over 100 criminal groups that committed crimes in subsoil, forestry.

KYIV. April 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Over the three years of work, environmental prosecutors' offices have exposed the activities of more than a hundred criminal organizations, most of which committed crimes in the field of subsoil and forestry, head of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office Borys Indychenko has said.

"In total, during the activities of the environmental prosecutor's offices, 101 organized criminal groups and criminal organizations were exposed. Most of all in the field of forestry – 67 and subsoil use – 24," the head of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office said on Tuesday at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine.

Citing an example of this type of crime, the prosecutor spoke about the recent notification of suspicion to a number of people, including the ex-head of a state specialized enterprise, two law enforcement officers and several private entrepreneurs.

"As part of an organized group, they illegally felled century-old oak trees in the exclusion zone within the Chornobyl Radiation-Ecological Biosphere Reserve," Indychenko said.

He added that the damage caused by illegal actions is estimated at UAH 59 million.

Speaking about the results of the investigations, the head of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office noted that in 2023, some 42 criminal proceedings were sent to the court on charges of almost 700 criminal offenses related to nature protection.

"In 14 criminal proceedings, convictions have already been made," he added.

In general, speaking about the work of environmental prosecutors' offices, the head of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office drew attention to the fact that prosecutors notify of suspicion of committing crimes that were previously studied only in theory.

"In particular, for the first time, an indictment was sent to court for violation of plant protection legislation, which, by the way, resulted in the death of about 300 birds (cranes). For the first time, they were brought to justice for the illegal transboundary movement of waste. For the first time in Ukraine, a pretrial investigation into sea pollution was completed, with a loss of $2 million, some of which has already been reimbursed," he concluded.

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