In Mykolaiv region, a convicted feller was given 300 fallen trees

A court in Pervomaisk allowed the return to the convict of more than 300 oak and maple trunks seized during a search in a case of illegal logging. The seizure of the wood was canceled because its status as material evidence was not determined after the verdict.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Pervomaisk City District Court of Mykolaiv Oblast.

The court allowed the return of the timber that was seized during a search as part of criminal proceedings for illegal logging.

A lawyer on behalf of a man convicted in April 2025 filed a corresponding motion with the court. He was found guilty of committing a crime under Part 1 of Art. 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal logging), sentenced to 2 years in prison, but released from serving it with a probationary period of 1 year. The verdict came into force, but the issue of the seized timber was not resolved at the time of its issuance.

According to the case file, on September 8, 2024, during a search of the convict's household, law enforcement officers found and seized a certain amount of timber: 230 oak trunks and 119 maple trees. This property was recognized as material evidence, seized by a court order, and the timber itself was transferred for safekeeping to the director of a private enterprise.

The convict's lawyer insisted that some of the seized trees (218 oak and 114 maple trunks) should be returned to the owner, as the court had not established the grounds for their confiscation. The prosecutor did not object to this.

The court agreed with the defense's arguments, recognized that there were no grounds for further storage of the property as material evidence, and decided to cancel the seizure. By a ruling dated June 13, 2025, the court allowed the wood to be returned to the convict.

Last year, an organized criminal group engaged in illegal logging was exposed in the Mykolaiv region. According to the investigation, the scheme was set up by a law enforcement officer with the help of two friends. Between January and March 2024, they cut down and transported wood of various species without permits, which they intended to sell. The state suffered losses of more than one million hryvnias.

Анна Бальчінос