The court fined Ukrzaliznytsia for failing to preserve trees in the Poltava region
22 March 12:18
The Commercial Court of Poltava Oblast ordered JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” to pay 1.23 million hryvnias for failing to preserve trees on land under its jurisdiction in Poltava Oblast.
This is evidenced by a court ruling dated March 10, as reported by [Komersant] with reference to EP.
In 2022, the foreman of the Lishchynivka production unit of the Lubenska Protective Forest Plantations Division, a branch of the Southern Railway of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia, discovered the illegal felling of 56 trees of various species (ash, oak, maple).
This occurred near the village of Vyshneve in the Poltava district, beyond a railroad crossing next to the tracks. “Ukrzaliznytsia” is the permanent forest user of this land plot.
Subsequently, criminal proceedings were initiated regarding the illegal felling of trees. During the investigation, the individuals who illegally cut down the trees were never identified.
At the same time, it was determined that the damage caused by the illegal logging amounted to 1.23 million UAH. The prosecutor’s office filed a lawsuit to recover this amount from Ukrzaliznytsia in favor of the Bilytska Village Council, within whose jurisdiction the plot is located.
The court sided with the prosecutor’s office, noting that Ukrzaliznytsia’s unlawful conduct consisted of inaction, as a result of which the company, as a permanent forest user, failed to comply with environmental legislation (specifically, regarding the preservation and protection of forest stands).
Thus, UZ allowed unauthorized logging on the territory under its control, failed to ensure the preservation of trees, and did not implement a set of measures that would have prevented the forest from being illegally logged and protected it from violations of forestry legislation by unidentified individuals. Therefore, Judge Oksana Tymoshchenko granted the claim.
