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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The Carpathians cut down for a wind farm for €200 million: logging was officially stopped, but the forest was destroyed. Criminal cases are being investigated over the construction.
On 3 June 2026, the state enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” halted logging for the power lines to the wind park on the Runa polonyna in Zakarpattia. The Ministry of Economy promised a reinspection with scientists and ecologists. On 18 August the Svaliava forestrylevel resumed cutting, although the joint inspection, according to conservationists, was not carried out. Of 42 registered habitats of the Red Book salamander, 17 were destroyed; of 34 sites of a rare orchid, 13; of 11 sites of clubmoss, seven. All three discovered sites of the common pochard disappeared. This is reported by Vikryvach.
On 28 May the commission did not find a single salamander, despite locations recorded by ecologists. The conclusion was signed by ornithologist Oleksandr Fedun. Forest streams with larvae were deemed dried up. Recommendations of the Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, according to the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group, were ignored. The Zakarpattia OVA did not create a protected zone.
Behind the project worth €200 million stand LLC “Vetryany Park Turianskyi”, EDRPOU 45043898, and LLC “WP Polonyna Runa-1”, EDRPOU 45613450. 30 turbines of up to 156 MW are planned. Manufacturer — Friendly Wind Technology, EDRPOU 44852382, linked to Maksym Yefimov and the Mkrtchanov family. The project’s lending partner is the state-owned Oschadbank. “WP Polonyna Runa-1” has a charter capital of 10 thousand UAH; 90% is owned by American US Wind and Solar LLC, 10% by the Dakar fund, EDRPOU 45892494. For 2025 year the company reported 57,66 million UAH in losses with assets of 2,37 billion UAH.
The logging was carried out by the Svaliava forestrylevel of the Carpathian Forest Office, EDRPOU 45554542. The branch director is Ihor Cheban, the head of the forestrylevel is Yaroslav Lutskyi. FSC certification of the forestrylevel has been suspended. At the June meeting on stopping the cutting, Ihor Zubovych was present; on 1 July he was appointed head of “Forests of Ukraine.” Under his tenure the forestrylevel resumed work.
A criminal proceeding No. 1202507310000057 has been registered over the construction on Runa — the investigation is checking violations in the construction of wind turbine foundations. A separate investigation under part 3 of Art. 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine concerns the clear-cutting of primeval forest for a road: 114 beech stumps up to 200 years old were found. On 14 July 2026 the appellate court in case No. 260/4125/25 recognized the issuance of a permit for clear-cutting 0,5 hectares of forest as unlawful and annulled it. On 9 September the Supreme Court opened cassation proceedings. This is a separate episode concerning the road construction, not the August cutting for the power lines.
Incredible, but true....
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