A scheme involving the illegal extraction of minerals during dam repairs has been uncovered in Bukovina
Millions in environmental damage and misuse of public funds.
Photo: Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office
Under the procedural guidance of prosecutors from the Chernivtsi City District Prosecutor’s Office, a scheme involving the illegal extraction of minerals and the misappropriation of public funds during the major repair of a landfill dam was uncovered. The total losses incurred by the state and the environment amount to 19 million hryvnias.
Four individuals involved in the case have now been served with notices of suspicion under Part 4 of Article 240 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal extraction of mineral resources resulting in serious consequences). The suspects include the head of one of the departments of the Chernivtsi City Council, the director and an employee of a contractor organisation, and the site foreman.
Illegal loam extraction and damage to the environment
As investigators established, in the winter of 2026, a department of the city council entered into a contract with a contractor for the repair of the embankment. Under the terms of the agreement, the department was to supply the soil required for the works; however, the head of the department and the director of the contracting firm decided to extract it directly from the landfill site without any special permits for the use of subsoil resources.
An employee of the contractor, who operated the specialised machinery and kept records of the loam extracted, and a site foreman, who allowed the machinery to pass unhindered, were involved in carrying out the scheme. Between April and June 2026, over 30,000 cubic metres of soil were unlawfully removed from the site, which, according to expert findings, caused environmental damage amounting to nearly 18 million hryvnias.
Inflated concrete prices and possible penalties
In addition to the environmental damage, law enforcement officers documented the misappropriation of over 1 million hryvnias of public funds during the procurement of concrete for the repair of the dam at significantly inflated prices. In connection with this incident, a city council official and the director of a contracting firm have been additionally charged under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (misappropriation, embezzlement or acquisition of property through abuse of official position on a particularly large scale).
The most severe penalty under the charges carries a sentence of up to 12 years’ imprisonment. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators from the Chernivtsi District Police Department, with operational support from the Strategic Investigations Department in the Chernivtsi region.
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