De-shadowing the forestry sector: The ESBU investigates a timber smuggling scheme

 Detectives from the Territorial office of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine  in the Kyiv region, under the procedural guidance of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office of the Prosecutor General's Office, are investigating a scheme for the illegal export of timber to Romania, the shipment of which is prohibited by law.

Under the guise of ordinary firewood, a commercial enterprise attempted to ship 17 railway carriages of commercial timber abroad, which was disguised as fuelwood.

The scheme was organized after the Government's decision to ban the export of fuelwood took effect from November 21, 2025.

The purpose of this ban is to ensure the stable passage of the heating season. "This is especially important during a period of increased strain on the energy system, as firewood remains a critical resource for communities, hospitals, military units, and households with solid fuel boilers," emphasized Vitaliy Perunin, Head of the Territorial office of the ESBU in the Kyiv region.

Understanding the forthcoming ban, the commercial enterprise procured over 1,500 m³ of firewood and loaded it onto railway carriages in the Kyiv region for subsequent export. However, during in-depth customs inspections, it was established that the enterprise was actually attempting to export commercial pine timber disguised as fuelwood.

In the first nine carriages inspected, over 2,000 logs of commercial pine, with a total volume of 165 m³, were promptly identified. Inspections of the remaining eight carriages are ongoing.

Urgent investigative actions are currently being conducted in the Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Rivne, and Chernivtsi regions, aimed at preserving assets and documenting evidence of illegal activity.

The pre-trial investigation is being carried out within the framework of criminal proceedings under Part 2 of Article 201-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Smuggling of timber prohibited for export outside of Ukraine).

Procedural guidance is provided by the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office of the Prosecutor General's Office. Operational support is ensured by employees of the Main Directorate "D" of the Directorate of Documentation and Intelligence Support of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), in cooperation with the Department for Combating Smuggling and Violations of Customs Rules of the State Customs Service, and with the assistance of the Internal Security Directorate of the state enterprise "Forests of Ukraine."