Following lawsuits filed by the prosecutor’s office, the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” has been ordered to establish protected boundaries for approximately 2,135 hectares of virgin forests in three districts of Zakarpattia Oblast, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine reported on its Telegram channel on Saturday.
“These are virgin forests and quasi-virgin forests—natural areas of special value that require proper protection. The problem is that their boundaries have not yet been marked directly on the ground everywhere. Therefore, for over a year now, prosecutors in Zakarpattia have been consistently demanding in court that “Forests of Ukraine,” represented by its “Carpathian Forest Office” branch, carry out work to demarcate the boundaries of these territories on the ground. “As of today, courts of first instance have granted the prosecutors’ claims regarding approximately 2,135 hectares of primeval forests in the Tyachiv, Uzhhorod, and Khust districts,” the statement reads.
Decisions confirmed by courts of first and appellate instance are already being enforced regarding the “Turbat Forest District” (136.8 hectares), the “primary and quasi-primary forests of the Lopukhiv Forest District” (100 hectares), and the “primary and quasi-primary forests of the Turitsky Forest District” (643.9 hectares), where the boundaries of these natural areas must be clearly defined on the ground.
At the same time, following appeals filed by the defendants, the Transcarpathian Regional Administrative Court is reviewing its decisions upholding similar lawsuits filed by prosecutors regarding the “Play Forest District” (161.7 hectares), the “Neresnytsia Forest District” (128.7 hectares), and the “Quasi-Primary Forests of the Bystrytsia Forest District” (98.6 hectares).
The Office of the Prosecutor General reports that there are other areas for which the court has already ordered the state enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” to properly formalize their protected status and demarcate their boundaries on the ground. These include the botanical reserve of national significance “Stranzul, Zadnya, and Kedryn” (510 hectares), the “Quasi-Primary Forests of the Perechyn Forest District” (35 hectares), and the “Primary and Quasi-Primary Forests of the Lyutyany Forest District” (98.6 hectares). These decisions are currently awaiting entry into force.
“The boundaries marked on the ground are not just lines on a map. They allow us to clearly define territories that have special nature conservation status and protect them from economic interference. For the Carpathians, this means a better chance of preserving unique natural habitats as they were formed without human intervention,” the statement reads.
As previously reported, in early October, as part of the “Green Shield” special operation, State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) officers served notices of suspicion to 12 officials at one of the branches of the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” and forestry enterprises in the Rivne and Volyn regions. According to the Bureau, the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” lost 6,851,000 UAH due to the sale of timber at below-market prices after officials organized the illegal sale of significant volumes of unprocessed timber to two export companies between December 2024 and January 2025.
Forests of Ukraine, nature conservation, primeval forest, PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE, Transcarpathia
