A scheme involving the extraction of minerals under the guise of “research” has been uncovered in Volyn; losses exceed 100 million hryvnias
3 April 18:43
Ukrainian law enforcement officials have uncovered a scheme involving the illegal extraction of minerals in Volyn under the guise of geological exploration of a deposit.
This was reported byProsecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to him, a company based in Lviv obtained a special permit for geological exploration of a coal deposit but had actually been conducting commercial mining for five years.
How much could have been extracted
According to the investigation, nearly 105,000 tons of minerals could have been illegally removed from the deposit during this time.
Specifically, this includes:
- over 56,000 tons of siltstone;
- over 34,000 tons of argillite;
- more than 14,000 tons of sandstone.
These materials are used in construction and infrastructure restoration.
According to investigators’ estimates, the state’s losses exceed 102 million hryvnias.
Charges and Searches
Under the procedural guidance of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office and the Office of the Prosecutor General, the company’s director was notified of suspicion under the article on illegal use of subsoil resources.
Law enforcement officials conducted five searches in:
- Volyn Oblast
- Lviv Oblast
- Kyiv Oblast
During the investigative actions, special equipment, cash, and documents were seized, which, according to the investigation, may indicate the legalization of illegally extracted resources.
Similar schemes in other regions
The Office of the Prosecutor General states that this scheme is not an isolated case.
Among other identified cases:
- the development of a deposit on the Cheremo River in the Ivano-Frankivsk region under the guise of research into sand and gravel mixtures;
- industrial amber mining in the Rivne region under the guise of scientific research.
Why do such schemes arise
According to Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, the spread of such schemes is facilitated by:
- a moratorium on inspections by regulatory agencies;
- limited grounds for revoking special permits.
In particular, the current Subsurface Code of Ukraine makes it difficult to quickly revoke special permits even in cases where violations have already been established within criminal proceedings.
The Office of the Prosecutor General states that the situation requires legislative changes that will allow for a faster response to abuses in the use of subsoil resources.
The investigation into the case is ongoing.
