Environmental Сrimes in the Wartime

The graph below, based on police statistics, shows a gradual increase in environmental crimes in Ukraine since 2015.

Environmental crime peaked in 2020, with a very slight decrease in 2021.

The start of the War slightly reduced the number of environmental crimes (54 environmental crimes in 2021, 4018 environmental crimes in 2022), but not as significantly as might have been expected after the start of the Russian invasion.

Moreover, in 2023, 4741 environmental crimes were recorded, and in 2024, 4153 environmental crimes were recorded.

However, in just six months of 2025, 2787 environmental crimes were recorded, which is 67% of the number of similar crimes recorded in the whole of 2024.

Moreover, if we take such crimes as illegal logging or illegal transportation, storage, and sale of timber for analysis, the picture becomes even more acute and relevant.

In 2021, the largest number of crimes under this article was registered (2862 crimes).

After a slight decrease in the number of crimes registered in this category in 2022 (2,454 crimes), the number of crimes registered jumped again the following year, reaching 2687 crimes.

However, in just six months of 2025, 1517 crimes in this category were registered, which also accounts for 66% of the total for the whole of 2024.