MP from “Servants” may be involved in illegal mining in Transcarpathia – media

In Transcarpathia, law enforcement officers have uncovered a scheme for illegal andesite mining. According to investigators, during 2025–2026, the participants in the scheme illegally mined about 417,000 cubic meters of minerals, causing losses of UAH 949.8 million to the state.

This was reported by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, the Transcarpathian Regional Prosecutor’s Office and the National Police .

According to the investigation, the co-founder of the company and a deputy of the Transcarpathian Regional Council, the director of the enterprise, its chief engineer who organized the extraction, as well as the head of another company through which andesite was sold were involved in the illegal activity.

According to a source of “Ukrainian Truth” in law enforcement agencies, suspicions were received by:

• • Mykhailo Laba — co-founder of CobaltumResourceExport LLC and deputy of the Transcarpathian Regional Council, son of the People’s Deputy from the Servant of the People Mykhailo Laba;

• • Volodymyr Andryushchenko — founder and director of CobaltumResourceExport LLC;

• • Oleksandr Klin is the chief engineer of this enterprise;

• • Serhiy Petruk is the director of BudTrading LLC.

According to the Ukrainian Police, Petruk was served with a suspect at the border while trying to leave Ukraine.

In 2024, the company received permission for geological study and experimental and industrial development of a 59-hectare deposit. At the same time, as the investigation established, instead of research work, industrial mining of andesite actually began.

About 10 hectares of forest were destroyed to build the quarry. In addition, forest land was illegally used to lay 2.6 km of power lines and install 52 poles.

The rock was extracted by blasting without the required environmental impact assessment. Law enforcement documented at least 13 cases of drilling and blasting.

In total, according to the investigation, about 417 thousand cubic meters of andesite were illegally mined.

According to the investigation, violations also occurred during the sale of mined products.

According to tax reports, the company sold over 774 thousand tons of andesite. At the same time, law enforcement officers discovered about 353 thousand tons of unaccounted products with an estimated value of 247 million UAH. The investigation believes that it could have been sold for cash.

The engineering and environmental examination established that the total amount of damage caused to the state is UAH 949.8 million.

During the investigation, law enforcement officers also recorded conversations between the participants in the scheme. In them, they discussed, among other things, the possibility of continuing to use the land plot despite the prosecutor’s office’s lawsuits.

The defendants also mentioned the Temporary Investigative Commission of the Verkhovna Rada, which is dealing with the situation around the deposit. According to Kravchenko, the investigation will provide a legal assessment of these circumstances in accordance with the collected evidence.

The issue of choosing preventive measures for the suspects is currently being resolved.

The Transcarpathian Regional Prosecutor’s Office reported that a request for detention with the alternative of bail in the amount of UAH 100 million for each of the three defendants – a deputy of the regional council, a quarry director, and a director of the LLC through which the andesite was sold – was sent to the court.

Regarding the fourth suspect — the chief engineer of the enterprise — the prosecutor’s office is requesting detention with the alternative of posting a bail of UAH 10 million.

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