Illegal quarry disguised as pond construction discovered near Rati River in Kyiv Oblast

Disguised extraction of useful minerals

An ecological scandal has unfolded in Brovary district of Kyiv Oblast, within the territory of the Zazymka community (Lytky and Lytchoky villages). Journalists from the investigative project "Stop Corruption TV" documented facts of large-scale unauthorised sand extraction. The work was carried out under the guise of a project to create an artificial water body for fish farming, but in reality, the sand was used for land levelling, and part of it was used to bury the bed of the local Rati River.

Documents at the work site

During a visit to the scene, the filming crew recorded the active operation of heavy machinery. Excavators were removing the fertile topsoil and reaching the sand layers. Upon the journalists' request, the workers presented a single document — the "Project for the Development of an Artificial Water Body". According to the contractors, this paper is sufficient for conducting large-scale earthworks and extraction operations.

According to investigators, the organiser of the extraction is businessman Bohdan Yuriovych Alekseev, co-founder of the agricultural company Lytchoky-Agro LLC.

Businessman's explanation and legal assessment

Journalists contacted the entrepreneur by phone to obtain an official comment. In the conversation, Bohdan Alekseev confirmed the work, calling the site "a quarry I am digging", but denied any violation of the law. He stated that the sand on the bank was placed "temporarily" to form the slopes of the pond, and that the riverbed is not being buried. The businessman explained the changes to the shoreline as "natural processes".

However, the legal assessment by the project's lawyers differs significantly. As emphasised by human rights defender and "Stop Corruption TV" journalist Roman Lytvyn, the existence of a private project for an artificial water body does not grant the right to extract useful minerals, alter the landscape, or bury water bodies. Sand extraction is regulated by the Code of Ukraine on Subsoil and requires a special permit for subsoil use, mining allocation, and an environmental impact assessment (EIA).

Document falsification and threat to the ecosystem

Investigators found that the land plot indicated in the provided project is absent from the Public Cadastral Map of Ukraine under cadastral number 3221285200:04:010:0038. This indicates probable falsification of land management documentation or the unauthorised seizure of water fund lands.

Particular concern is raised by the state of the Rati River. Work is being carried out in the riparian protective zone, where any construction, removal of the soil cover, or establishment of quarries is strictly prohibited under the Water and Land Codes. Two-metre sand embankments have formed on the bank, and part of the soil is entering the water, threatening the destruction of the local ecosystem and the shallowing of the water body.

Reaction from authorities and law enforcement

The media contacted the head of the territorial community, Vitaliy Krupenko. He reported that he had sent a land management specialist from the community, Stanislav Sakhno, to the scene. Together with the village head, Nataliya Ryznyk, they were to verify the information and document the violations.

In addition, journalists are preparing appeals to the State Ecological Inspectorate, the National Police, and the prosecutor's office of Kyiv Oblast. The project team demands the immediate cessation of the illegal quarry, the prosecution of those responsible under Articles 240 and 239-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and an order for the developer to rehabilitate the damaged riparian zone.

As previously reported, on 25 September, in Lytchoky village of Brovary district, journalists documented machinery used for sand extraction near a water body within the territory of the "Venice" cottage settlement. Police were called to the scene to document the circumstances.