Chainsaws, acacia trees and 400 thousand in damages: the case of illegal loggers has reached the court

In Mykolaiv region four residents of the Novoodeske district will be tried, who are accused of illegal tree felling in protective shelterbelts. The environmental damage was estimated at over 400 thousand hryvnias. This was reported on August 11 2026 by the Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

Prosecutors of the Novoodeske department of the Mykolaiv District Prosecutor’s Office sent the indictment to court. According to the investigation, during October 2022 four men agreed in advance and repeatedly cut down acacias in protective forest plantings. They used chainsaws for this. The felled timber, according to law enforcement, was sold by the men and generated illegal profit. In total 50 trees were destroyed. The defendants’ actions were qualified under Part 4 of Art. 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — illegal tree felling committed repeatedly by a group of persons and causing grave consequences.

The prosecutor’s office also filed a civil claim to recover from the defendants over 400 thousand hryvnias in favor of the state. If guilt is proven, the men face five to seven years of imprisonment. The final decision in the case will be made by the court. Until a guilty verdict attains legal force, the defendants are considered innocent.

Previously, we wrote:

• In Mykolaiv region, seven defendants will be tried in the case of illegal tree felling worth 2.7 million
• In Mykolaiv region three men were cutting down oak, acacia and honey locust for sale
• Gas station instead of oaks: in Mykolaiv the prosecutor’s office opened a case over scandalous construction
• They cut down forests and profited: in Mykolaiv region exposed “illegal loggers” with damages totaling hundreds of thousands
• “It bothers me” as a verdict for a tree: a green catastrophe at the hands of Korabelnyi residents