Under the procedural guidance of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office of the Office of the Prosecutor General, a suspicion has been announced against the head of the sector of one of the divisions of the State Service of Geology and Subsoil of Ukraine.

The investigation established that the official was involved in the activities of a criminal organization that illegally extracted amber in the Rivne region from 2022 to 2024. The individual is charged with participation in a criminal organization and facilitating illegal subsoil extraction (Part 5 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 28, Part 3 of Article 240-1, Part 3 of Article 255 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

In May 2025, prosecutors, together with investigators from the State Bureau of Investigations (DBR) and employees of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), uncovered the participants of the criminal organization who, under the guise of geological exploration of subsoil areas, extracted amber and sold it in the region.

In total, seven participants, including a former director of one of the branches of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine," illegally extracted over 5 tons of precious stones. According to expert conclusions, the damage caused to the environment due to unauthorized use of subsoil amounts to over 354 million hryvnias.

In May, they were informed of the suspicion of creating, leading, and participating in a criminal organization, as well as illegally extracting amber using their official position.

During the pre-trial investigation, the involvement of an official from the State Service of Geology and Subsoil of Ukraine in the illegal extraction of precious stones and participation in the mentioned criminal organization was established.

His role involved consulting the organizers during the selection of areas, accompanying the process of obtaining special permits, preparing documents on behalf of a private company, and organizing cooperation with design organizations. All of this gave the illegal activity the appearance of legality. Additionally, he advised the group members on reporting, documentation, and responding to inquiries from law enforcement agencies.

The pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings is conducted by the Main Investigative Department of the DBR with operational support from the Main Operational Department of the DBR and the Main Department of Counterintelligence Support for Critical Infrastructure Facilities of the SBU.

Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in the manner prescribed by law and confirmed by a guilty verdict of the court.