"How criminals take the forest to Europe. Corruption, deaths, illegal logging, floods"

 
  • Тарас Зозулінський

Europeans do not even realize that by buying a variety of goods - from photocopy paper to furniture from IKEA, they often sponsor the activities of the Ukrainian mafia. Cosa Nostra, Yakuza, Triads and Drug Cartels - films and books are made about them. Instead, the Ukrainian mafia remains out of the attention of most citizens. In this film, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism "Detectives" is about the illegal export of timber and control of the timber market in the European Union by Ukrainian organized criminal groups. The Mafia of Ukraine is closely connected with the leadership of the State Forestry Agency and its structures, the Prosecutor General's Office and the world's woodworking giants. And she is immortal. The investigation describes illegal deforestation in Ukraine, despite a moratorium and circumvention not only of national legislation but also of EU regulations. Entrepreneurs hidden in offshore buy wood from state-owned forestry enterprises at low prices and resell it to Europe with a huge difference, which is used to bribe officials and law enforcement officers. And of course - in such an illegal business can not do without criminal wars, redistribution of spheres of influence, shootings and blown up cars. This material is extremely relevant in the current situation, when in recent weeks hundreds of villages were flooded, thousands of houses were destroyed - due to floods. One of the main reasons for this is the uncontrolled and illegal logging in the country