Kyiv Prosecutors Reclaim 9.5 Hectares of Stolen Forest Land Linked to Fugitive Yanukovych-Era Officials

Prosecutors return 9.5 hectares of protected forest near the Kaniv Reservoir to state ownership, breaking ties to sanctioned officials.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 16, 2026, 10:02 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Interfax-Ukraine

Restoring State Control Over Protected Forest Massifs

In a significant move to reclaim misappropriated natural resources, the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office has finalized the return of 9.5 hectares of forest land in the Tsybli community. The territory, situated within the Boryspil district, had been held by private interests for over two decades following an illegal transfer. This enforcement action is part of a broader judicial effort to systematically review and reverse the unauthorized privatization of state assets that occurred during previous administrations. By entering the state ownership status into the State Register of Property Rights this month, authorities have officially neutralized long-standing private claims to these ecologically sensitive areas.

Ties to Sanctioned Pro-Russian Figures Exposed

The legal victory is particularly notable for the high-profile political figures linked to the disputed territory. According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, open registries identified the plots as being under the control of companies tied to Viktor Medvedchuk, a sanctioned former MP, and Oleksandr Klymenko, who served as the Minister of Revenues and Duties under Viktor Yanukovych. Specifically, investigators discovered that the ultimate beneficiary of one of the involved firms is the wife of Medvedchuk. These links underscore the ongoing effort by Ukrainian prosecutors to dismantle the domestic economic influence of figures associated with Russian interests and the previous regime.

Judicial Review of Historical Administrative Overreach

The roots of the illegal land grab trace back to 2004, when the Pereiaslav-Khmelnytsky District State Administration exceeded its legal mandate. Prosecutors successfully argued in court that the administration had no authority to transfer these specific forestry lands into private hands for development. Over the subsequent years, the land was subjected to construction projects that directly violated Ukrainian environmental and land-use legislation. The Commercial Court of Kyiv Region initially granted the prosecutor's lawsuit, a decision that was fully upheld by the appellate court in early 2024, paving the way for the recent administrative execution of the order.