Radioactive trees were cut down in the Chernobyl exclusion zone and sold for one and a half million euros

Nearly two hundred century-old oak trees were cut down near Chernobyl, the site of the worst man-made disaster in human history. The timber from the radiation-affected zone was sold in Kyiv using falsified documents.

The scheme was uncovered by the State Bureau of Investigations. The illegal logging cost the state approximately 1.5 million euros. Suspicion fell on the acting director of the state enterprise “Northern Forest,” which is part of the Chernobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve, and his accomplices. Law enforcement officers accompanied the transport of the felled timber. It was taken to a reception point in Kyiv, where it was sold based on falsified documents.

It is worth noting that the exclusion zone established after the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion still exists. Living, farming, and even the timber from the zone can be dangerous to human life.