In 2023, almost 35 million hryvnias were spent on the construction and repair of forest roads in Volyn and Rivne region. This year, it is planned to allocate 213 million hryvnias for these needs. The main contractors were a well-known Lviv firm and enterprises associated with Volyn politicians Igor Palitsa and Stepan Ivakhiv.
Who and where is building forest roads in Volyn, and what are the benefits from them, the Center for Journalistic Investigations "The Power of Truth" investigated ".
Last year, the state enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" announced the construction of 500 kilometers of new forest roads, of which 180 km belong to the Polissky Forestry Office. The importance of such roads is substantiated by their multifunctionality and defensive significance in wartime conditions. Forest roads also serve to ensure the fulfillment of economic and economic indicators of the enterprise.
According to the information of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine", in 2023, 34.9 million hryvnias were spent on the construction and major repairs of forest roads within the boundaries of the Polissky Forestry Office . In 2024, it is planned to spend 213 million hryvnias on these needs, of which 117 million hryvnias. will go to the capital construction of roads, and UAH 96 million. - for major repairs.
On the territory of Volyn and Rivne Oblast, it is planned to build and repair 190 kilometers of forest roads. In particular, they want to repair 19.7 kilometers in "Kivertsiv Forestry", 19.3 kilometers in Kostopil Forestry, and only 2.3 kilometers in "Lyubeshiv Forestry".
To the question of why forest roads are being built during the war, the Polis Forestry Office answered that their necessity is justified by logistics and the reduction of the cost of harvesting wood. Forest roads are also used to fight fires and have social significance for local communities.
Regarding the cost of construction, it is noted that technical forest roads are being built, which are cheaper than highways, and companies are spending their own funds on this.< /p>
In 2024, no new tenders for the construction and repair of forest roads were announced, work continues according to the 2023 tenders. Three firms became the main contractors, two of which are related to Volyn politicians Igor Palitsa and Stepan Ivakhiv. In particular, the Lviv company "Welt Kapital" received contracts worth 63.6 million hryvnias, the Kovel firm "Volyndorbud" - for 29.4 million hryvnias, the Ivano-Frankivsk "PBS" - for 12.7 million hryvnias.
The media often mentions the firm "Welt Kapital" in connection with scandals and financial frauds. Volyndorbud and PBS have common ties with Volyn oligarchs Igor Palitsa and Stepan Ivakhiv. After the 2019-2020 elections, "Volyndorbud" quickly broke into the road repair market, receiving multimillion-dollar contracts, without having its own equipment.
According to the publication "Our Money", in 2023 for the construction of forest roads "Forests of Ukraine" » spent 263 million hryvnias. Velt Kapital, PBS and Volyndorbud became the largest contractors.
Environmentalists believe that the construction of forest roads has dubious benefits and serves only to access larger amounts of forest resources. They note that such roads are built in forests that are used for recreation or water conservation, which is harmful to the environment.
Every year, Ukraine loses thousands of hectares of old forests, which are critically important for the preservation of biodiversity. Environmentalists believe that 500 kilometers of new roads is a dubious initiative that could harm nature reserves.
