Polonyna Runa is a unique highland ridge in the Zakarpattia oblast of Ukraine that has become the epicenter of a conflict surrounding the construction of a large wind power plant (WPP). Despite lacking the necessary permits — most notably, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) conclusion — preparations have already begun for the installation of 30 wind turbines. According to local environmental activists, part of the valuable old-growth forest has already been cut down for this project, sparking outrage among the environmental community.
In addition, the project at Polonyna Runa has also become the focus of the Land Matrix Initiative — an international association that monitors large-scale land use, including the construction of renewable energy facilities, and publishes data about them in an open database. This information helps identify which investors are accumulating large areas of land and where they are implementing projects that could be harmful to local communities and the environment.
At the initial stages of the analysis of this wind farm, we entered the case into the LM database to document and further monitor the situation. For an in-depth study of the impacts, the Ecoaction’s team visited Runa to witness the situation firsthand and assess the impact on this unique ecosystem. Below are the key findings.
Not Construction, but “Preparatory Work”: Destructive Wordplay
Under Ukrainian law, the construction of wind power plants with two or more turbines is subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure. This means that before any work begins, the developer must commission experts to thoroughly study the potential harm to the surrounding ecosystems. A report of this assessment must be submitted to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, where the public is entitled to review it and submit comments. Based on all received information, the Ministry then delivers its “verdict”: to approve or prohibit the project, to impose environmental restrictions, or to return the report for revision.
This procedure is mandatory not only for wind farms but also for more than thirty other types of activities. Without a positive conclusion from the Ministry, no work may begin. The WPP project on Runa is no exception.
However, during public hearings on the EIA report — hearings that are meant to ensure transparency and public participation — the developer failed to present all maps and layouts, including alternatives for the placement of the 30 turbines. Environmental activists defending Polonyna Runa filed a lawsuit over the violations that occurred during the public consultation process.
As the court case proceeds, the EIA procedure has been suspended, meaning that no work is legally allowed to begin. According to the developer, however, construction has not started. Everything currently happening on Runa is, in their view, merely “preparatory work,” which, they claim, does not legally require an EIA. Therefore, from their perspective, there is neither construction nor any violations taking place.
Unfortunately, the reality tells a different story: the forest — some of it old-growth — is already gone.
Endangered Species and Other Natural Treasures of Polonyna Runa Under Threat
During Soviet times, a military facility was built on Polonyna Runa, along with a concrete-paved road leading to it. Today, both the road and the facility are in a semi-ruined state. For years, this road served as a route for local residents climbing to the summit to harvest blueberries — a seasonal activity that provided many families with enough income to last the entire year. Now, they worry that the construction will destroy their only livelihood.
We took that road to reach the summit, too. Within just 30 minutes of the ride, we encountered at least six concrete mixer trucks. The road is so narrow that even two large vehicles can barely pass one another. Transporting wind turbine parts along this path would be impossible.
As a result, the developer has begun carving out a new road at the top of the ridge—more than 10 meters wide—by excavating a trench at least 1.5 meters deep right through the middle of blueberry fields. According to local residents, the opposite end of the new road cuts through the forest, where part of a legally protected primeval forest has already been cleared. At least three construction sites were observed, one of which already had a foundation laid for a wind turbine. Each of these sites requires flattening the land using bulldozers—either digging it up or backfilling it with stone—over an area roughly the size of half a football field.
Just meters from the road, among dense lingonberry bushes, we spotted vibrant flowers of Dactylorhiza majalis and Gymnadenia — native orchids. All orchids’ species (Orchidaceae) in Ukraine are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine and are legally protected. Although Polonyna Runa is not officially part of the country’s nature reserve network, the presence of endangered species is already grounds for establishing a protected zone, which would include a ban on construction activities.
These orchids (Dactylorhiza and Gymnadenia) are not the first rare species identified on Runa. Even the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the wind farm project noted the presence of 13 endangered plant species (seven of which are orchid species) and 14 bird species, including two types of harriers, the short-toed eagle, the common crane, and the Eurasian woodcock. The developer was fully aware of the valuable species of flora and fauna that would be affected by the project.
So What Now — No Wind Turbines, Back to Burning Coal?
Upon hearing the purpose of our expedition, our driver — a local elder and an avid skier — reacted with a mix of confusion and frustration. He tried for quite some time to convince us that the local community needs electricity. He argued that the village, which already hosts a few wind turbines, had power while neighboring villages were experiencing blackouts. And after all, wind turbines are far better than the old, polluting coal plants that poison the air and worsen climate change.
And it’s hard to argue with that: wind energy is one of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly sources of power. The problem with Runa isn’t the wind turbines themselves — it’s that they are being built in a place where they simply shouldn’t be. Ukraine has plenty of land designated for energy infrastructure development, where there are already access roads and no need to cut through primeval forests. Moreover, the potential for wind energy development is high across almost the entire territory of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, untouched natural areas in our country are becoming increasingly scarce—many are now occupied, bombarded, mined, or damaged by the movement of heavy military equipment and other consequences of Russian aggression. While the occupiers destroy, it is our duty to protect and preserve.
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