Mykolaiv Region Returns Over 510 Hectares of Forest Land to State

The Mykolaiv Region Prosecutor's Office returned more than 510 hectares of forestry to the state through court decisions. Over the past two years, almost a hundred lawsuits have been filed against land fraud.

This was reported by the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office.

Law enforcement officers continue to identify cases of fraud with forest land that should remain in state ownership. Over the past two years, prosecutors have filed 93 lawsuits to return 984 hectares of forest land to the state. The courts have already satisfied 77 of them, covering 816 hectares, and actually returned more than 510 hectares.

The most common violations are the illegal transfer of forest land to the category of agricultural land with subsequent transfer to communal ownership, as well as abuse of the right of permanent use by forestry enterprises that leased the land under the guise of joint cultivation.

PHOTO: Office of the Prosecutor General

Thus, the court ordered the return to the state of 25 hectares of forest land that had been illegally withdrawn from the use of the forestry enterprise and registered as agricultural land. In another case, we managed to get 170 hectares returned, which the forestry enterprise had actually leased out for agricultural production. The head of this company is currently facing trial.

To prevent further violations, the prosecutor's office appealed to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the State Forestry Agency, and Mykolaiv Regional State Administration to assign rights to forest land to the state enterprise Forests of Ukraine.

Cases of seizure of state land, both forest and water, are not uncommon in the region. In January, the Berezanska territorial community was sued for refusing to legalize self-sown forest on a 42.5-hectare plot, which violates the state's interests in protecting forest resources.

PHOTO: Office of the Prosecutor General

The Bashtanka District Prosecutor's Office also filed a lawsuit against the district administration, citizens, and a private enterprise, as 7 people illegally obtained almost 40 hectares of land for agricultural use.

In addition, the prosecutor's office is demanding the confiscation of 15 hectares of land from Russian citizens who, after acquiring ownership, did not alienate it within a year, as required by law. Instead, they leased these plots to Ukrainian agricultural enterprises on a long-term basis, making profits on the territory of Ukraine.

Анна Бальчінос