National and international laws are being violated in Ukraine by building a road through the virgin forest

To comply with the requirements of the Carpathian Convention on the Protection of Primeval and Quasi-Primeval Forests, Ukraine adopted the Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on the Protection of Virgin Forests in accordance with the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians" (No. 2063-VIII of 23 May 2017) and, pursuant to this Law, developed the Methodology for Determining the Affiliation of Forest Areas to Virgin Forests, Quasi-Virgin Forests and Natural Forests, approved by the Order of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine No. 161 of 18 May 2018.

In accordance with this Methodology, 1714.9 hectares of virgin and quasi-virgin forests were confirmed by the Conclusion and officially recognised within the Perechyn Forestry (now Uzhhorod Forestry of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine"). The conclusion was approved by the State Enterprise Perechyn Forestry (which became part of the Uzhhorod Forestry branch of the State Enterprise Forests of Ukraine) in accordance with the requirements of the Methodology for determining the affiliation of forest areas to virgin, quasi-virgin and natural forests, approved by the Order of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine No. 161 of 18 May 2018.

According to the official conclusion of the State Enterprise "Perechyn Forestry", subcompartment  1 of compartment  3 of the Shipot Forestry belongs to virgin forests, and subcompartment  2 to its protection zone (the area around designated virgin forests, quasi-virgin forests and natural forests). In addition, these areas are part of the projected virgin forest natural monument "Primeval Forests of the Shipot Forestry" and its protection zone, respectively.

In March 2025, the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" announced a tender for a forest road to be built within the forestries of the Uzhhorod Forestry branch, namely through compartments  1-3 of the Shipot forestry and compartment  29 of the Liutianske forestry. Some of these areas are virgin forests and their protected zones, so the road construction and accompanying logging are illegal and threaten Ukraine's unique natural ecosystems.

According to Art. 39-1 of the Forest Code of Ukraine, in order to protect and preserve virgin forests, quasi-virgin forests and natural forests, all types of logging, including sanitary logging, forest formation and rehabilitation logging (except for maintenance of linear objects and cutting down individual trees during firefighting) are prohibited, construction of structures, laying of roads, linear and other transport and communication facilities, grazing, industrial harvesting of non-timber forest products, and vehicle traffic (except for public roads and forest protection services).

All designated virgin forests, quasi-virgin forests and natural forests are classified as forests of conservation, scientific, historical and cultural purposes, and are also allocated to special protected forest areas.

Around designated virgin forests, quasi-virgin forests, and natural forests, protection zones with a width of at least twice the height of the virgin forest stand are established, where clear and gradual felling is prohibited.

However, despite this, the register of logging tickets shows that logging tickets have already been issued for these areas. Within the virgin forest and its buffer zone, logging tickets No. 20250219-000092 and No. 20250219-000122 were issued for logging related to new construction, reconstruction, major repairs of roads in forest areas and their maintenance. Satellite monitoring showed that the logging took place in the 20s of March, although this information is not reflected in the LIAC system as of 15.04.2025, and the status of logging is still "not started". This may indicate a violation of the requirements for electronic timber accounting (screenshots in the appendix).

In addition, during the construction of the road, facts of destruction of species listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, in particular, the common snowdrop, were revealed (photos and coordinates in the appendix).

The issuance of a logging ticket and subsequent logging is a gross violation of the current legislation of Ukraine, as virgin forests, quasi-virgin forests and natural forests are the national natural heritage of Ukraine in accordance with Article 39(1) of the Forest Code of Ukraine. Any interference, including all types of logging, construction and laying of roads, grazing, industrial harvesting of non-timber forest products, and vehicle access (except for public roads and forest protection services) is prohibited and illegal.

Felling in block 2 of the Shipot forestry for the construction of a forest road. Photo: Olena Mudra

WWF-Ukraine appeals to  the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources and the Prosecutor General's Office to  provide a legal assessment of the road construction and to bring to justice for violations of the legislation on the protection of virgin, quasi-virgin and natural forests.