They Learned to Catch Violators Using Live Subjects: How the State Environmental Inspectorate of the Polissia District Trained New Public Inspectors

The State Environmental Inspectorate of the Polissia District conducted a large practical session for future public inspectors who are undergoing training under the SaveDnipro program in partnership with the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine. Participants were shown the full behind-the-scenes work of environmental monitoring—no dull theory or bureaucratic refusals.

Real cases instead of textbooks

The meeting began with remarks from the deputy head of the inspectorate, Serhiy Malyarchuk, who stressed that effective environmental protection is possible only when the state and civil society act together. The practical part itself was built on real stories from Zhytomyr and Rivne regions.

Future inspectors were laid out everything they face in daily work:

how to organize raids correctly and identify illegal logging and damage to green spaces;

how to document grassland arsons and deal with illegal dumps;

by what criteria landfills for household waste and large enterprises that pollute air or water are checked;

how to respond to poaching, in particular during fish spawning periods.

Sharing their experience with participants were experienced state inspectors Serhiy Fedorchuk, Serhiy Deisan, Denys Voynash, Oleh Semenuk, Vitaliy Kruk, and Serhiy Yaro shchuk. The public inspector Oleh Kozlovskyi, using Berdychiv as an example, showed how activists can truly assist the state during inspections of local enterprises.

Why this matters

Head of the State Environmental Inspectorate of the Polissia District, Yevhenii Medvedovskyi, emphasized that public inspectors often become the first to notice environmental disorder in their community, so they must clearly know their rights and the lawful algorithms of action.