Criminal and Administrative Measures to Protect Forests from Illegal Logging in Ukraine

The conducted research showed a lack of coordination between different norms of Ukrainian criminal and administrative laws that define the offences in the sphere of illegal logging, and determine the type and degree of liability for committing them. This lack of coordination is manifested, specifically, in the competition of certain norms, their ineffectiveness, and the absence of liability for certain publicly dangerous actions connected with illegal logging and damaging trees. The authors carried out a comparative analysis of criminal administrative offences in this sphere and formulated recommendation on improving criminal and administrative legislations that protect public relations in the sphere of protecting forests in Ukraine. They suggest the following: 1) amending Art. 65 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences by establishing liability for selling illegally logged timber or shrubs; 2) amending Art. 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and Art. 65 the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences by introducing administrative liability for buying illegally logged timber or shrubs, as well as criminal liability for buying illegally logged timber or shrubs if it inflicted considerable damage; 3) amending Art. 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine by introducing criminal liability for destroying or damaging forest plantations, seedlings, young plants in tree nurseries and plantations, as well as young trees of natural origin and self-seed plants in the areas designated for reforestation if that inflicted considerable damage on protected public relations. The presented suggestions on improving current criminal and administrative legislations of Ukraine are aimed at improving the effectiveness of counteracting illegal logging in the country.