Ukraine's higher administrative court has upheld the position of Prosecutor General's Office in Zhytomyr region and the ruling of Zhytomyr administrative court of appeals regarding the unlawfulness of the removal of 95 ha of forest by Zhytomyr Regional Council from municipal ownership and the transfer of the forest section to an enterprise, part of Group DF, with the purpose of production of titanium ore.

The press service of Zhytomyr Prosecutor General's Office has reported that the higher administrative court did not satisfy the counterclaim of Zhytomyr Regional Council and the ruling of the Zhytomyr administrative court of appeals is left valid.

Zhytomyr Regional Council in May 2015 made the illegal decision to reduce land parcels and removed 95 ha of forest changing the purpose of its use for production of titanium ore in Volodarsk-Volynsky district.

Prosecutor General's Office in Zhytomyr region challenged the decision of the regional council in Zhytomyr administrative court of appeals. The regional council filed a counterclaim to the higher administrative court.

Valki-Ilmenite and Mezhdurechensk Mining and Concentration Complex (MMC) are part of titanium business of Group DF. The group also invests in construction of two more MMCs – Stremyhorodky (Zhytomyr region) and Motronivsky MMC (Dnipropetrovsk region).