16 September 2026
(PHOTO COLLAGE: Intent/AI)
Grigory Melnichenko , a member of the district council, filed a lawsuit over restrictions on access to the banks of the Dniester River. His company also challenged the actions of a state enforcement officer regarding the demolition of structures on land within the Lower Dniester National Park.
The Southwestern Commercial Court of Appeals has opened proceedings on a complaint filed by Melnichenko LLC against a decision by the Odesa Regional Commercial Court. The company disagreed with the court’s refusal to overturn the state enforcement officer’s decision.
The dispute arose back in 2024. The Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office filed a lawsuit in the interests of the state and the Odesa Regional State Administration. The lawsuit concerned a cooperation agreement in the field of recreational activities, which was concluded in 2018 between the Lower Dniester National Nature Park and Melnichenko LLC, whose director is Grigory Melnichenko.
The prosecutor’s office demanded that this agreement be declared invalid and that the structures built on state-owned forest land be removed. The case concerns the territory of the Bilyayiv Forest District of the Odesa Forestry Administration.
In June 2024, the Commercial Court fully granted the prosecutor’s office’s claim. This decision was upheld by the Court of Appeals in February 2025 and by the Supreme Court in March 2026.
Subsequently, Melnichenko LLC challenged the actions of the state enforcement officer who was ensuring compliance with the court decision. The company requested that the decision to establish an enforcement team—and subsequent amendments to it—be overturned. In August, the Commercial Court denied the company’s request. The company then filed an appeal.
As a result, the Court of Appeals opened proceedings on the case. The parties to the case may file their objections by September 29. The appeal hearing is scheduled for October 13.
In June 2025, the former chairman of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi District Council, Melnichenko , filed a lawsuit challenging restrictions on people’s access to the banks of the Hlybokyi Turunchuk River and argued for the dismissal of national park employees.
In September 2026, the dismantling of illegal structures began in the Lower Dniester National Park. Melnichenko attempted to stop the work, arrived at the site, and called the volunteers “thugs.” He subsequently appealed to the Odesa Regional State Administration to halt the demolition.
Park officials emphasized that the area near Hlyboky Turunchuk is part of the Ramsar Wetlands and the Emerald Network. During an inspection of the structures, officials discovered unsafe constructions, flammable materials, a lack of fire extinguishers, and rusty nails.
As reported by Intent, the owner of Melnichenko LLC is Viktor Melnichenko—a relative of the deputy. Until June 2025, the company’s owners also included Olena Melnichenko, the wife of the former head of the district council, and Serhiy Hrynevetskyi.
Melnichenko also heads the NGO “Society of Hunters and Fishermen of the 21st Century,” while the affiliated LLC “Hunter and Fisherman of the 21st Century” is managed by Viktor Melnichenko.
Previously, “Schemes”reported that in 2022, during the full-scale invasion, Melnichenko purchased two land plots for nearly one million hryvnias while he was still the head of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi District Council.
Анна Літман