⚠️Appeal to the U.S. Embassy in UkraineRegarding the Treatment of Forestry Pensioners and Corruption in the State Forestry SectorTo the attention ofHer Excellency Julie D. Fisher (Chargé d’Affaires), Embassy of the United States in Ukraine.Your Excellency,We respectfully address you regarding the deeply troubling situation unfolding within Ukraine’s state forestry sector — particularly the treatment of retired forestry workers and ongoing allegations of systemic corruption within the management of the state enterprise ДП «Ліси України» (State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine”).For decades, forestry workers served the state under difficult and often dangerous conditions — reforesting mountain slopes, protecting natural resources, and maintaining forest infrastructure. A key social guarantee for employees and pensioners of the sector was the annual provision of firewood (8 stacked cubic meters for long-term workers and pensioners), formally закрепed in collective agreements and long-standing industry practice.Today, this guarantee has effectively been dismantled.Instead of receiving firewood, pensioners are offered a monetary compensation of approximately 6,500 UAH — a sum that covers only a fraction of the real market cost of firewood (which currently ranges from 12,000 to 20,000 UAH for equivalent volume). Moreover, elderly pensioners — many over 75 or even 80 years old — are required each year to collect and submit an extensive package of documents, including:Copy of employment record bookCopy of passportCopy of tax identification numberCopy of pension certificateBank account confirmationCertificate regarding heating facilitiesThis bureaucratic burden is imposed despite the fact that all relevant information is already available in state registries. Many elderly former forestry workers live in remote rural areas and must travel long distances to district centers simply to collect these documents. Some refuse to apply at all, considering the procedure humiliating.This situation raises broader concerns about governance standards within the forestry sector. The State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” has been presented as a flagship reform initiative. However, public discourse increasingly associates its leadership — particularly Director General Yuriy Bolokhovets — with allegations of illicit enrichment and opaque financial practices.While Ukraine is defending itself against external aggression, internal governance failures undermine public trust and social justice. Veterans of the forestry sector — who dedicated their lives to protecting national resources — now find themselves facing bureaucratic obstacles and financial insecurity.We respectfully request:That the Embassy closely monitor governance and anti-corruption standards in Ukraine’s forestry reform process.That attention be paid to the protection of social guarantees for elderly forestry pensioners.That transparency and accountability mechanisms within state enterprises be strengthened in accordance with democratic and anti-corruption principles supported by the United States.Ukraine’s future depends not only on military resilience but also on internal justice, rule of law, and respect for those who built the country’s institutions.We appreciate your attention to this matter.Respectfully, EcoFactor community.......