Kateryna
Handsjuk

When a blaze in Ukraine’s Kherson region destroyed more than 600 hectares of Oleshky Forest last May, Kateryna Handziuk stated: it’s being burned on purpose to sell its wood. In November Hadziuk -- an activist and advisor to the mayor of Kherson -- died, four months after suffering an acid attack that left serious injuries on her body. The prosecution then stated that her outspokenness about the fire was likely the reason she was attacked.

The Handziuk case has already been going on for six months with eight people featured. They include members of a volunteer battalion, former law enforcers and officials. The question of “who ordered the murder of Handziuk?” has become one of the most popular ones to address to the law enforcement agencies and the government.

But what’s happening with the Oleshky Forest today? The logs are still being driven out illegally. Our sources within law enforcement tell us that all illegal logging in the Oleshky Forest was previously controlled by businessman Serhiy Braha, who, according to prosecution, was present during the gatherings of the suspects in Handziuk’s murder where they discussed ways of inflicting harm on the activist. These days, the scheme of setting fire then driving the trees away for sale is used by Kherson businessman Mykola Urmanov, a close friend of the family of Oleksiy Levin-Moskalenko, another suspect in Handziuk murder. Urmanov himself tells us that he’s never been involved in illegal logging and selling forests.

Hromadske traveled to the forest to see where the logs are being taken, which laws are being broken and who’s gaining from these processes.

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