Director of Kuyalnytskyi National Park reacts to information about possible construction

Oleksandr Shestun, director of the Kuyalnytskyi National Nature Park, said he had no information about any development projects on the floodplain of the Kuyalnytskyi Estuary or the territory of the national park.

He made this statement in response to the information voiced by Vladyslav Balinsky, head of the Green Leaf NGO, in an exclusive commentary for the Accents project of Intent.

In his commentary, the environmentalist criticized the petitions that are currently being sent to the government to preserve the park. He also said that the park's management is not properly performing its functions and that the estuary's floodplain is planned to be built up in the future.

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VIDEO: Accents/Intent

"The estuary is located within Odesa and most of it is within the Odesa agglomeration. I want to say that I know about big projects to build up the floodplain. Now these petitions are just dust in the eyes to pretend that something is being done. However, I know that they are planning to lobby for the development of the estuary floodplain to save it," said Balinsky.

Oleksandr Shastun said that the ecologist did not provide any evidence of the existence of development projects for the estuary and joked that perhaps Vladyslav Balinsky himself was harboring such plans.

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VIDEO: Kuyalnytskyi National Park/Facebook

Later, a discussion ensued between the park director and the ecologist. Vladyslav Balinsky reminded Oleksandr Shestun of the decision of the Krasnosilsk Village Council, which expanded the territory of the village of Korsuntsi to 488.6 hectares with the additional inclusion of 272.1 hectares, including especially valuable coastal areas directly adjacent to the park's borders.

Instead, the park's director distanced himself from this decision, stating that he has been working since 2024 and has nothing to do with the decision of the Krasnosilsk village council and that this decision in no way provides an opportunity for the development of the National Park.

In 2022, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed decrees establishing the Radziwill Forest, Kuyalnytskyy, and Kholodnyi Yar national nature parks. The decree establishes the Kuyalnytskyi National Nature Park in the Berezivskyi and Odesa districts of Odesa Oblast.

"Kuyalnytskyi became the third national nature park in Odesa region, along with Tuzly Estuaries and Lower Dniester Estuaries. In total, there are more than 100 natural complexes and objects of special environmental, scientific, aesthetic, recreational and other value in the Odesa region.

In December 2019, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the draft law "On Declaring the Natural Territories of the Kuyalnyk Estuary of Odesa Region a Resort of National Importance".

Кирило Бойко