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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The state has not yet been able to put the Stynavske oil-and-gas field in Lviv region up for auction, although after sanctions against the previous subsoil user Ukrnafta it proposed inviting a new investor. DNVP Geoinform Ukraine returned the application, citing, among other things, the overlay of the block onto the Semyhynivske field, the special permit for which belongs to Pari Naftogaz LLC. According to YouControl, the company is owned by the daughters of former Minister of Ecology Mykola Zlochevsky.
The situation around the Stynavske field in Lviv region could affect not only the future development of oil and gas reserves but also potential revenue to the state budget.
After sanctions were imposed on LLC SP Borislavskaft Oil Company and subsequent annulment of its special permit, state-owned Ukrnafta proposed putting the block up for an open auction. However, at this time, implementing this proposal has not been possible.
How the Stynavske field ended up without a subsoil user
2 July 2026 year the National Security and Defense Council (RNBO) adopted a decision to apply sanctions against a number of subjects. 3 August the corresponding restrictions were put into effect by presidential decree No 704/2026. The Borislavska Oil Company, which developed the Stynavske oil and gas field, was included in the sanctions list.
18 August the State Geological and Subsoil Service (DGGNS) halted the single special permit of the company — No 1211. At first, sanctions were set for 10 years, but 20 August the RNBO changed the decision, making them indefinite.
Subsequently, 18 September, by Order No 449 the DGGNS finally annulled the special permit No 1211.
The right to extract oil and gas within depths from 2800 to 3600 meters was at issue.
How much the state could receive
The Stynavske field is one of Ukraine’s significant oil objects. According to Borislavska Oil Company, in the first half of 2026 year the enterprise produced on average about 43 tonnes of oil and 68 thousand cubic meters of gas per day.
The company also reported that it paid to budgets more than 1,5 million UAH per day. In annual terms, this is approximately 15,7 thousand tonnes of oil and 25 million cubic meters of gas.
After sanctions were introduced, production at the field was halted.
Ukrnafta proposed holding an auction
After the special permit was annulled, the state-owned Ukrnafta on 21 September appealed to the State Geological and Subsoil Service with a proposal to put the Stynavske field up for electronic trading.
25 September the service was instructed to process the Geoinform Ukraine DNVP’s request. Already 28 September the enterprise provided a response, in which two reasons for returning the application were noted.
The first concerned the boundaries of the block itself: the approved outline of the Stynavske field partially extends beyond the territory proposed by Ukrnafta.
The second reason proved to be more fundamental. The proposed object spatially overlaps with the boundaries of the current special permit No 5398 for the Semyhynivske field, which belongs to Pari Naftogaz LLC. In Geoinform’s letter it was noted that this permit “has no depth limitation.”
This circumstance effectively became an obstacle to further consideration of the state company’s proposal.
What is known about Pari Naftogaz
According to YouControl, the ultimate owners of Pari Naftogaz LLC are Anna and Karina Zlochevsky — the daughters of former Ecology Minister Mykola Zlochevsky.
The company holds Special Permit No 5398 for the use of the Semyhynivske field’s subsoil, issued back in 2011 year.
Previously, the legality of this permit had already been the subject of a court dispute. Lviv regional prosecutor’s office tried to have it declared invalid, but in May 2025 the Supreme Court left the special permit in force. One of the reasons was that prosecutors failed to prove the timeliness of the court filing.
Mykola Zlochevsky himself in 2023 year entered into a plea agreement admitting guilt in a case related to an attempt to bribe leadership of NABU and SAP. The High Anti-Corruption Court approved the agreement and imposed a fine of 68 thousand hryvnias.
A key detail — the depth difference
Documents for the two fields show a substantial difference.
The Stynavske field, under the annulled permit No 1211, covered deposits at depths from 2800 to 3600 meters.
Meanwhile, the reserves of the Semyhynivske field, according to protocol DKZ No 4167 dated 23 November 2017 year, are located much deeper — from 3605 to 4540 meters.
Thus, according to the cited documents, the deposits of the two fields lie at different depths.
Meanwhile, in the current blank of the special permit No 5398 for Pari Naftogaz the coordinates and area of the block are listed as 16,6 square kilometers, but there is no separate depth boundary.
At the same time, the permit itself refers to DKZ protocol No 4167, in which the depth of reservoir occurrence is defined.
This raises a question that currently has no unambiguous public answer: can the lack of a specific depth mark in the permit form mean that the subsoil user gains the right to claim deposits located above the depth indicated by the protocol?
When did the permit blank change
Worth noting is that the current version of blank No 5398 was prepared in July 2022 year, when the State Geoneadras was headed by Roman Opimah.
Whether earlier versions of the document 2011 and 2021 contained depth restrictions, who exactly initiated the reissuance of the document, and why the new version lacks such information — is not known.
What could happen next
According to Stopkor sources in the State Geoneadras, the next step could be a new DKZ protocol regarding Pari Naftogaz. In theory, this could allow the company to claim deposits above the depth mark 3605 meters — i.e., in the zone previously covered by the permit for the Stynavske field.
Among officials who could be involved in deciding such matters, sources name Head of State Geonadras Serhiy Vlasenko, Director of Legal Support Serhiy Guba, Director of the State Information Geological Fund of Ukraine Pavlo Bovsunivskyi, and Head of the DKZ Serhiy Paiuk.
If these sources’ suppositions are confirmed, this could also affect the economic parameters of the future auction. According to preliminary estimates, the block area could be reduced by more than 30%, and the starting price by roughly 35–40%. An independent calculation of these figures is not available at the moment, so the editors asked the State Geoneadras to assess possible consequences.
Key remaining questions: why is a permit for reserves at depths 3605–4540 meters effectively used as an argument against putting a block with deposits up for auction up to 3600 meters, why is there no depth limitation in the current blank, and when will the Stynavske field finally be put up for bidding.
The editors will continue to monitor the situation and await responses from the State Geoneadras, DNVP Geoinform Ukraine, DKZ, and Pari Naftogaz LLC.
Also read: Land near Kyiv-Chop for 3,5 million UAH: in Lviv region investigators are probing a dubious privatization of the plot.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "”Укрнафта” хотіла повернути Стинавське державі: аукціон заблокував дозвіл компанії Злочевських". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: NARDEP 24.
