Petition to Protect the Carpathians: What Did President Zelenskyy Answer to the Author, Veteran and Biologist Tupikov?

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has forwarded the petition demanding the protection of the Carpathians to Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov. This was reported by the public initiative “Holka.”

The petition’s author, veteran and biologist Andriy Tupikov, who demands the protection of the highlands from wind turbines and the chaotic development of “monster resorts,” received a response from the President, which states:

“I have addressed the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yuliia Svyrydenko, with a proposal to ensure the processing of the issues raised in the electronic petition, involving interested local executive bodies, and to take appropriate response measures. I have also addressed the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Umerov, with a request to ensure the processing of the specified issue and, if necessary, the preparation of materials and draft decisions, involving relevant state bodies, for consideration at a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.”

Excerpt from Zelenskyy’s response to the petition author, Andriy Tupikov.

Having reviewed Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s response, Tupikov notes:

“First of all, I thank everyone who supported the petition. Everyone’s actions influence the shaping of democracy. The petition was rejected for registration four times on the grounds that this does not fall under the President’s authority. But this is not true. Appealing to the government, in my opinion, made no sense. We have seen that the government gives the green light to wind turbines. I thank the President for the quick response, but I expected more decisiveness. Essentially, the request was delegated to the Cabinet of Ministers. Therefore, I have reasonable doubts about the quality of the response and the swift execution of the demands. Perhaps the President’s attention will force the government to act. I was promised to be kept informed – we will see.”

In the petition, which was registered by the President’s Office on the fifth attempt and garnered over 26,000 votes in 6 days, Tupikov specifically demands that Volodymyr Zelenskyy urgently submit a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada. This bill should regulate the special conditions for the sustainable development of the Carpathian region and ensure the protection of its unique natural complexes, landscapes, and culture.

The President’s legislative initiative must also prevent clear-cutting of forests, any forms of large-scale construction, and the placement of related engineering infrastructure in territories above 1,000 meters above sea level, as well as in other natural areas of key importance for the preservation of biodiversity, water resources, and landscapes.

Furthermore, Tupikov emphasizes in the petition the urgent need to create new and expand existing protected areas in the Carpathians, namely: the nature reserves “Vilnyi Svydovets,” “Polonyna Hostra,” “Polonyna Krasna,” “Polonyna Apetska,” “Polonyna Bychkiv,” “Liutianska Holytsia,” “Verkhovynskyi Vododilnyi Khrebet,” and the national nature parks “Velychni Karpaty” and “Verkhovynskyi.” Petitions for this were submitted to the relevant ministry a long time ago.

The petition was supported by prominent public figures, journalists, and bloggers, including the President of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Serhiy Kvit, producer Ihor Kondratiuk, Ukrainska Pravda investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach, blogger Ihor Lachenkov, and the heads of the NGOs ANTS and the Anti-Corruption Action Center, Hanna Hopko and Daria Kaleniuk.

A number of public environmental organizations also stood up to protect the Carpathians, including “Environment-People-Law” (EPL), “Ecoaction,” “WWF-Ukraine,” “Greenpeace Ukraine,” “Ecoclub,” “Ecosphere,” “Free Svydovets,” the “Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group,” “Save Pikuy,” “Chysto.de,” “Forest Initiatives and Society,” the Ukrainian Climate Network, “Holka,” and several other organizations.

As a reminder, Members of Parliament failed to pass the draft law “On the Emerald Network” back in 2021. At that time, journalists filmed correspondence between MPs from Zakarpattia stating that this law would make construction in the Carpathians impossible and needed to be blocked. The law still has not been voted on.

In 2025, the Verkhovna Rada supported the so-called Ihor Mazepa law (Draft No. 12089), which attempted to nullify claims against those who plundered green zones and coastlines if more than 10 years had passed since the illegal alienation of land from the community or the state. If this period has not yet expired and the state or community wants to return its property through the courts, a deposit equal to the property’s market value must be paid from the budget. The European Parliament and the European Commission criticized this law. International partners called it the legalization of stolen goods (the roll-call vote of the MPs can be viewed in the tool “Reloading the Country is in Your Power”).

An even greater threat to the preservation of nature and cultural heritage is posed by the new draft of the Civil Code, lobbied by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk.

Also, last year, the Verkhovna Rada decided to merge three ministries into one, and the Ministry of Environment, which helped block harmful legislative initiatives, disappeared from the Cabinet of Ministers. Despite an appeal from nearly 130 organizations, initiated by “Environment-People-Law” together with “Holka,” the parliament has yet to restore the work of the specialized ministry.

In 2026, the Ministry of Economy issued a positive environmental impact assessment for the construction of wind turbines on Polonyna Runa in the Carpathians. Development there is being carried out by a company linked to former Party of Regions member Maksym Yefimov. The road to the polonyna was built by the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” at its own expense, clearing primeval forest and starting to build foundations before receiving official permission to implement the project. Environmental organizations criticized the Ministry of Economy’s decision not only due to environmental damage but also because the government is essentially establishing unequal rules of the game for businesses. Honest businesses, which first obtain permits and then start work, suffer from such decisions that legalize violations.

And now, the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” is ready to build a second road for the construction of wind turbines at the state enterprise’s own expense. This time, to the polonyna named Hostra.