Three illegal gravel quarries 12 metres deep found near the Prut River in Bukovina

Detection of large-scale damage to land resources

In Chernivtsi Oblast, in the immediate vicinity of the Prut River, three separate plots were identified where illegal gravel mining was likely taking place. The total area of the damaged territories is over two hectares. The deepest of the discovered pits reaches approximately 12 metres, which corresponds to the height of a four-storey building.

Damage assessment and law enforcement response

Preliminary calculations by the State Environmental Inspectorate indicate that the damage inflicted on the environment may range from 250 to 300 million hryvnias. Characteristic traces of industrial activity were found at the scene: tracked vehicles, displaced soil, excavations, and embankments. Investigators have already opened a criminal case for the illegal extraction of natural resources. Currently, it is being established who specifically organised the conversion of the land plot into a private gravel quarry.

Land status and circumstances of the violation discovery

Interestingly, the aforementioned territories are under the use of the "Podilskyi Forest Office" branch of the state enterprise "Forests of Ukraine". Representatives of the enterprise explained that these plots are not actually involved in the main forestry activities, so they did not have priority status for inspection during planned raids. Formally, the land was under supervision, but this did not prevent the appearance of deep pits.

The State Environmental Inspectorate noted that due to the state of war, a moratorium on conducting planned inspections has been established. Presumably, the violators took advantage of this circumstance. After the quarries were discovered, inspectors called the police. Now experts must determine the exact volume of extracted resources and the final amount of damage inflicted.

Position of local authorities and further actions

The Boyanska Village Council refused to provide detailed comments, citing the secrecy of the investigation. Instead, the state enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" has already handed over the relevant materials to law enforcement. The State Environmental Inspectorate and the State Geocadastre are to conduct the corresponding inspections.