Volynpryrodresurs

50 thousand hectares of amber without an auction

The municipal enterprise “Volynpryrodresurs” was founded by the Volyn Regional Council in April 2016 on the initiative of the council head Ihor Palytsia — one of the top managers of the Privat Group of Kolomoisky. Already in February 2017, the State Geological Service issued the enterprise four licenses for 20 years of amber, peat, and copper extraction over an area of more than 50 thousand hectares in three districts of Volyn — without an auction. The Kyiv-based LLC “Izumrud Plant” paid 62 million UAH for the special permits. Actual extraction is carried out through the private LLC “Nadrovytdobuvannya,” whose founder is a Polish citizen — the general contractor to whom 50% of the net profit is paid. In February 2017, the General Prosecutor’s Office conducted searches at the Volyn Regional Council as part of proceedings concerning abuse by officials of the State Geological Service when issuing licenses.

Connections with the Mindich family, 70 million UAH debt, and meager profits amid destroyed forests

The asset of “Volynpryrodresurs” came under control of structures connected to Timur and Kateryna Mindich — figures involved in the main corruption scandal of 2025 regarding Energoatom. A loan from “Izumrud Plant” of 70 million UAH has still not been repaid. Over five years—from 2020 to 2024—the enterprise sold amber worth 319 million UAH, while net profits in 2025 amounted to only 12.8 million UAH amid enormous environmental damages from lands dug meters deep. The NABU received a criminal case concerning possible abuses in licensing issuance — and investigation linked the scheme to the “amber mafia,” which encompassed Volyn, Rivne, and Zhytomyr regions.