Prosecutors seek court return of 190 ha in Chornobyl zone where crops illegally grown

The Specialised Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of the Office of the Prosecutor General has filed a claim with the Kyiv region commercial court seeking the return to the state of three land plots in the exclusion zone with a total area of over 190 hectares, the Office of the Prosecutor General said.

"These lands are located in Vyshhorod district - in the exclusion zone and the mandatory resettlement zone affected by the Chornobyl disaster," the prosecutor’s office said on its Telegram channel on Monday.

According to the agency, the plots were held by the state body responsible for managing the exclusion zone. "However, state registrars unlawfully changed their status and transferred them to communal ownership. After that, land use rights were groundlessly registered in favour of a private company," the prosecutor’s office explained.

As a result, since 2020 all these territories have been used for growing agricultural crops, including wheat and maize, without a special permit, posing a risk to human life and health.

According to the statement, the investigation established that the basis for the registration actions was a decision of the Poliska district council that does not in fact exist. "State land certificates issued to the former collective enterprise Svitanok, which is in the process of liquidation and has no successors, were also used," the prosecutor’s office specified.

The prosecutors’ arguments are supported by gathered evidence, including expert conclusions.

The court has already opened proceedings in the case and scheduled a preparatory hearing. The investigation is ongoing.