Stepan Hoshovskyi, Director of the Carpathian National Nature Park, has come under intense scrutiny due to a stark mismatch between his officially declared income and his actual lifestyle. The state official, who on paper owns only a vintage Soviet-era UAZ off-roader, was recently spotted driving a luxury Lexus LX600 valued at approximately 10 million UAH. Investigative journalists and anti-corruption whistleblowers have raised alarms over the matter, calling on the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources to launch an official inquiry into potential corruption.
According to Hoshovskyi’s official financial disclosures, his annual salary stands at a modest 327,000 UAH, alongside 930,000 UAH held in cash. Furthermore, the official declares zero real estate assets, listing a 1994 UAZ SUV as his only registered vehicle.
In stark contrast, journalists have repeatedly documented the national park director operating a premium Lexus LX600. Investigative reports reveal that the vehicle is registered to a Kyiv-based company, LLC «Mudra Sova» («Wise Owl»), and has been omitted from the official’s asset declarations.
The controversy is further highlighted by the dramatic contrast between the park director’s luxury vehicle and the assets declared by his superiors at the ministry:
Minister Oleksii Sobolev has declared a family-owned 2018 Subaru XV (valued at approximately 460,000 UAH).
Deputy Minister Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi officially uses a 2017 Toyota Camry and a family-owned Toyota RAV4.
Consequently, the director of a subordinate national park is driving a vehicle that vastly eclipses the assets of the top-ranking officials overseeing his agency.
«Are Oleksii Sobolev and Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi aware of Hoshovskyi’s alleged schemes and the origins of his premium fleet? Or does Carpathian forest conservation now have a new KPI — driving a Lexus more expensive than the Minister’s?» a whistleblower questioned.
Controversy has surrounded Stepan Hoshovskyi since his initial appointment. At the time, national park staff launched public protests, warning of potential schemes to carve up and illegally privatize protected conservation lands.
For years, local media have linked the director’s name to various illicit activities. Specifically, reports have pointed to:
Illegal logging operations within the protected zones of the Carpathian Mountains;
The operation of an unauthorized sawmill near the village of Tysiv;
Schemes involving timber smuggling and the unlawful redistribution of state-protected nature reserve lands.
Civic activists and watchdogs are currently awaiting an official response and a thorough investigation into these findings by law enforcement agencies and ministry leadership.