Ukraine's State Fiscal Service (SFS) intends to check 235 business entities for deforestation and timber exports, the agency reported on its website on Tuesday.

"In order to conduct a comprehensive audit of such exporters, 235 business entities are included in the schedule for checks. Some 102 subjects have already been checked this year, 133 will be checked before the end of the year, of which there will be 60 taxpayers in August," the SFS's press service quotes acting SFS head Yevhen Bambizov as saying, adding that the agency has created a list of timber exporters.

During 2017 and the first half of 2018, timber exports were carried out by almost 9,000 business entities, including 3,400 legal entities.

The SFS intends to check 22 enterprises subordinate to the State Forest Resources Agency.

"In addition, SFS staff has created working groups to check 76 forestry enterprises," the agency said.

As earlier reported, Ukraine's Cabinet has set up an ad hoc group to check state enterprises that are managed by the State Forest Resources Agency and other business entities whose activities are related to deforestation and timber exports. The ad hoc group included representatives of the SFS, the Agrarian Policy Ministry, the State Environmental Inspectorate, the State Forest Resources Agency, the State Service of Ukraine for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre, the National Police and the State Border Service.

The Cabinet has instructed the State Audit Service to inform the government about the results of the checks by August 23, 2018.