Svydovets

The most amazing place in the Eastern Carpathians, the Svydovets massif is under threat of destruction.

The woods have been already massively cut down; the plants will soon begin to die; animal unable to survive on bare slopes, will disappear; and the Danube will lose its main tributary – the Tisa River, which originates precisely at the Svydovets.
Sign the petition to save Svydovets
It is home to at least 93 endangered species of Red Data book of Ukraine (2009) including the European brown bear and the Eurasian lynx. More than half of Ukraine’s glacial lakes are located on the mountain range. The massif provides the hydrological regime of the region and contains the source of the international Tysa river which is a main tributary of the Danube river.

pristine forest landscapes biodiversity hotspot

The planned ski resort would have significant environmental impacts on the ecosystem

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Corruption

The competent authorities are developing the huge ski resort project in a totally non-transparent manner, in complete disregard for the Ukrainian law on public information.

Deforestation

Deforestation will result in increased risks of soil erosion, floods, avalanches, forest fires.

Water issues

The project would require immense quantities of water for the hotels and restaurants, for the production of artificial snow.

The company that owns the “Bukovel” resort plans to build 2 ski resorts on the neighboring ridges of Mount Svydovets. At the end of 2022, the Polianytsya Village Council made a decision to develop the necessary documents for the construction of the “Bystrytsia” resort. According to the existing maps, this resort is intended to be located between the Bratkivskyi ridge and the village of Bystrytsia in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The “Bystrytsia” resort is planned to cover an area of 1200 hectares and accommodate 20,000 visitors simultaneously.

Similarly, in late 2022, the Ust-Chorna Village Council agreed to the proposal of the “Bukovel” resort owners and started working on the documentation for another resort called “Turbat.” It will cover an area of 200 hectares and accommodate up to 5,000 visitors at a time.

Despite the ongoing conflict associated with oligarch Kolomoisky, the company plans to build not only the “Svydovets” resort but also two other resorts – “Bystrytsia” and “Turbat.” As indicated by the maps, all three resorts will not only be connected to each other but also to the existing “Bukovel” resort. As a result, a mega-resort will emerge, covering an area of at least 2,800 hectares and accommodating over 65,000 visitors (including the “Bukovel” resort). For comparison, this is two-thirds the size of Uzhhorod by area and half its population.

In February 2023, the local authorities are still working on the land documentation for the “Bystrytsia” and “Turbat” resorts. Meanwhile, we are studying the situation and preparing to counter the new appetites of the oligarchs.i

APPETITES ARE GROWING: IN 2022 ACTIVISTS REVEALED INVESTOR'S PLANS TO BUILD 2 MORE RESORTS

Svydovets 2023: Preserving Wilderness Amidst War (PDF)

Initiative Group “Free Svydovets,” 2023

Download Resume (PDF)

Transcription of the investigation carried out by the “Schemes” team of Radio
Svoboda broadcast on
28 January 2021

Borzhava, Kaskiv and the Liovochkin siblings: how Yermak and Zelenskyi are making Yanukovych's Olympic dream come true. (pdf)

An Open Letter to the International Olympic Committee (pdf)

Save the Carpathians –
No Olympic Winter Games in Ukraine!

Trees cannot scream

Trees cannot scream

How unsustainability and illegality are destroying the forests of the Ukrainian Carpathians

Prepared by the “Free Svydovets” Group (Ukraine)
in collaboration with the Bruno Manser Fonds (Switzerland) and the European cooperative “Longo maï”. 2021

Download the summary (pdf)

Letter to the President of Ukraine

The Svydovets mountain range plays a tremendously important role in preserving thelandscape and biodiversity of the Carpathian Mountains. It is here that an enormous ski resort, which is bigger in area than Vyshhorod, Bakhchysarai or Khust, is planned to be built. The consequences of building andoperating such ski resort can be catastrophic for the environment and the local communities.

Open Book

The Svydovets case

Prepared by the Bruno Manser Fonds (Switzerland) in collaboration with the European cooperative “Longo maï” and the “Free Svydovets” Group (Ukraine).

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