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Against the backdrop of the cancellation of suspicion against the director of the SE "Forests of Ukraine" Yuriy Bolokhovets, discussions about possible personnel changes in the management of the country's largest forest user have intensified in the information space. The enterprise, which united 156 former forestry enterprises and is coordinated by the State Agency of Forest Resources, remains one of the key state assets in the field of natural resources.
The public discussion escalated after statements by blogger Serhiy Kovalenko, who linked the situation surrounding Bolokhovets to the so-called "Mindich Tapes" and suggested that former Minister of Agrarian Policy Vitaliy Koval may have an interest in changing the enterprise's leadership. According to Kovalenko's version, Vitaliy Sukhovych — a former forestry official from Rivne region — could have been among the potential candidates for the position of CEO of "Forests of Ukraine."
Serhiy Kovalenko: "He offers Sukhovych to buy the position of CEO of 'Forests of Ukraine' for 5-10 million."
This statement is the blogger's assumption and requires verification by competent authorities. At the same time, the very appearance of Sukhovych's name in the context of possible personnel decisions draws attention due to his previous career and criminal proceedings.
Vitaliy Sukhovych worked in the forestry sector for many years. His professional path began with the position of accountant at the Sarny forestry enterprise. Later, he headed the Rivne Regional Department of Forestry and Hunting, and also served as deputy director of the Polissia Forestry Office.
Sukhovych has a specialized education, comes from the Rivne region, and at one time participated in local politics: he ran for the Rivne Regional Council from the "Petro Poroshenko Bloc" and the "Strength and Honor" party.
In November 2023, the State Bureau of Investigation conducted searches at Sukhovych's home and those of his family members. Afterward, he was notified of suspicion of illegal enrichment. According to the investigation, the official acquired assets worth almost UAH 109 million, and the amount of illegal enrichment exceeded his legal income by more than UAH 98 million.
Later, Sukhovych admitted guilt and entered into an agreement with the prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. The court approved the agreement, imposing a three-year probation period. As part of the case, the state confiscated UAH 98 million.
Despite the criminal proceedings, Sukhovych remained in his position until May 2024. After a journalistic investigation into his assets, he reportedly threatened journalists, which further heightened public resonance around his figure.
A separate context in this story is connected with Vitaliy Koval — a native of the Rivne region, entrepreneur, and politician who at various times headed the Rivne Regional State Administration, the State Property Fund, and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy.
Before entering public service, Koval worked in business, particularly in the agricultural, transport, and construction sectors. He has a background in banking and holds an MBA degree. In November 2023, Koval was appointed head of the State Property Fund; in September 2024, he moved to the position of Minister of Agrarian Policy, and after his resignation, he re-registered as an entrepreneur.
Timur Mindich, in turn, is described as a sanctioned businessman and co-owner of "Kvartal 95." The NABU suspects him of involvement in a large-scale corruption scheme. The so-called "Mindich Tapes," according to investigations, contain about 1,000 hours of conversations and have already served as grounds for notifying several high-ranking officials of suspicion.
Key to this scandal is Mindich's alleged informal influence on defense budgets, personnel decisions, and international contracts. Koval appears directly in the published fragments: in one of them, he discusses the fate of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy with Mindich on the eve of the government's reorganization.
The very fact of such communication at the level of government decisions became the basis for Kovalenko's assumptions about the possible use of this channel also in personnel decisions regarding the SE "Forests of Ukraine." At the same time, no direct officially confirmed evidence of Koval's or Mindich's influence on appointments in the forestry sector has been made public so far.
The question of a possible successor to Yuriy Bolokhovets became public after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement in April 2026 regarding personnel decisions at state enterprises. One of the first notable steps was the appointment of Ihor Zubovych as operational director of the SE "Forests of Ukraine" and chairman of the commission for transforming the enterprise into a joint-stock company.
Zubovych's name had previously been criticized by environmental organizations. They linked him to illegal logging limits in national parks. At the same time, Sukhovych's name continues to circulate in the forestry community — despite his conviction and previous corruption case.
Yuriy Bolokhovets remains the central figure in this situation. On March 11, 2026, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court canceled his suspicion and bail of UAH 9.08 million. Bolokhovets's defense emphasized that he had previously been held in custody for two months with bail that lawyers considered unrealistic, and that pressure, according to them, had been exerted on his relatives and colleagues.
Against this backdrop, the financial indicators of the SE "Forests of Ukraine" show sharp growth. In the first quarter of 2026, the enterprise's net income increased to UAH 8.6 billion, and profit before tax — to UAH 3 billion.
The scale of the enterprise, its financial results, and its role in state management of forest resources make the struggle for the position of CEO of "Forests of Ukraine" not only a personnel but also a politico-economic issue. Under such conditions, any statements about informal agreements, potential appointments, or the influence of business groups require special public attention and proper verification by authorized bodies.
