Dirty stream and total disregard: Zhytomyr utility company faces criminal case for non-compliance with court order

The municipal enterprise “ATP 0628” of Zhytomyr City Council has learned this from its own experience. Due to systematic ignoring of ecological requirements and court orders regarding pollution of the Kroshenka river, the company’s leadership now risks facing a real criminal statute.

How they poisoned the Kroshenka tributary

The story began in the spring of 2024 year. Then mass complaints from residents through the EcoThreat service were sent to the Polissia district State Ecological Inspection. After inspecting the area, ecologists found an unpleasant picture: from the ATP territory, filth and toxic filtrate freely ran onto the soil and reached an unnamed stream that is a tributary of the Kroshenka river.

Since no one hurried to voluntarily rectify the situation, the ecological inspection went to court. In May 2025 year, a decision of Zhytomyr district administrative court came into force — public utilities were obligated to stop this disorder and halt the outflow of dirty waters.

Fines did not help: the police intervened

However, at the enterprise they decided that paper could bear everything. The court decision remained on paper, which is why the case was handed to the State Enforcement Service. Even after a double fine, ATP officials continued to pretend that nothing was happening.

When all lawful levers of influence were exhausted, the Enforcement Service appealed to law enforcement authorities with a demand to open criminal proceedings under the statute on willful non-execution of a court decision. Admittedly, the police were not in a hurry to enter data into the unified register, so the enforcers had to sue the police as well.