Director of Transcarpathian zeolite plant suspected of illegal mining of minerals worth UAH 11 million
The director of Sokyrnytskyi Zeolite Plant LLC was notified of suspicion of illegal mining of over 8,800 tons of zeolites on the territory of the deposit, which caused the state losses of more than 11 million UAH. This was reported by the press service of the Transcarpathian Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the investigation, during 2022–2025, the manager organized the extraction of minerals without a special permit, attracting third-party contractors to carry out drilling and blasting work at the quarry.
Illegal mining covered more than 3 hectares of the only zeolite deposit in Ukraine, one of the largest in Europe. Zeolite is used as an environmentally friendly sorbent, in agriculture, construction and for water purification.
The director’s actions were qualified under Part 4 of Article 240 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – illegal extraction of minerals of national importance by an official using his official position and explosive works, which caused serious consequences. The court has already chosen a preventive measure for him.
The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Transcarpathian region. The fertilizer market in Ukraine remains unstable due to the combination of Russian influence and global trends.
