Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine () is the main authority in the system of central government of Ukraine responsible for ecological monitoring and development of the country. As a government ministry it exists since 1991 being formed during dissolution of the Soviet Union.
History This government institution was established in 1967 as the State Committee of Nature Protection. In 1978, it was merged into the All-Union State Committee under the same name centered in Moscow. Following Ukraine's declaration of independence, the state committee was reorganized into the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine. In 1995–2000, the ministry also supervised nuclear safety as the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety of Ukraine. In 2000, it switched to its current name until 2003 and recovered it again in 2010. In 2003-2010 it was the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine.
On 29 August 2019 the Honcharuk Government merged the ministry into the Ministry of Energy and Coal Mining.New Cabinet formed in Ukraine The Rada appointed the new Cabinet: Avakov and Markarova remained (РАДА ПРИЗНАЧИЛА НОВИЙ КАБМІН: АВАКОВ І МАРКАРОВА ЛИШИЛИСЬ), Ukrayinska Pravda (29 August 2019) But the succeeding Shmyhal Government re-created (the ecology ministry) on 27 May 2020.Govt backs separation of ecology ministry from Energy and Environmental Protection Ministry, Interfax-Ukraine (27 May 202p) The new returning post of ecology minister was filled when Roman Abramovsky was appointed by parliament on 19 June 2020.Ukraine's parliament backs appointment of new environment minister, UNIAN (19 June 2020) On 17 July 2025 the ministry was once again merged, this time with the Ministry of Economy.
Structure The ministry is headed by the minister of ecology and natural resources, the first deputy, and other deputies to assist the minister. The ministry elects several state administrations representatives to coordinate operation of selected government companies.
Central body Minister State agencies Administration of organizational-analytical support to Minister Control-Revisionary Section Collegiate of Ministry First Deputy Department of State Ecological Policy and International Actions Legal Department Section in relationship with press media and public Administration in property, job security, material-technical and informational support Chief Specialist in Mobilization Division of controls and checks in execution of acts and decrees of higher bodies of state power Division of regime-secret actions Deputy – Head of Central Body Department of Ecological Security Department of Economics and Finances Administration of State Ecological Monitoring Section of state expertise Section of human resources Section of accounting and financial report Division of tender procedures Deputy Department of Conservation Affairs Department in Security of Natural Resources and Eco-Network
State agencies State Service of Geology and Resources (official website if inaccessible ) Nadra Ukrainy (official website) State Agency of Water Resources (official website) State Agency of Ecological Investments (official website) State Ecological Inspection (official website) Other institutions Ukrainian Science-Research Institute of Ecological problems, Kharkiv (official website) Ukrainian Scientific Centre of Ecology of the Sea, aka UkrSCES (Odesa) (official website)
Black Sea Globe In 2023, UkrSCES, with the support of EU and UNDP, opened the Kids Scientific-Art School “The Gllobe of The Black Sea” (or “Black Sea Globe”) in Odesa and Mykolaiv. In 2024 its students hosted artworks exhibitions under the title “Black Sea Globe”, commonly representing portolans of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov painted in artistic style.
List of ministers Ecology and natural resources Name of ministry Name of minister Term of office Start EndState Committee in Nature ProtectionBoris VoltovskyDina Protsenko11 April 19783 November 1988 Viktor Filonenko3 November 1988 1991Ministry of Environmental ProtectionYuriy Shcherbak19 June 1991Yuriy KostenkoMinistry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear SafetyVasyl ShevchukMinistry of Ecology and Natural ResourcesIvan ZayetsSerhiy KurykinVasyl ShevchukSerhiy PolyakovMinistry of Environmental ProtectionPavlo IhnatenkoVasyl DzhartyHeorhiy FilipchukViktor BoikoMykola ZlochevskyMinistry of Ecology and Natural ResourcesEduard StavytskyOleg ProskuryakovAndriy MokhnykIhor ShevchenkoSerhiy Kurykin Hanna Vronska Ostap Semerak 14 April 2016 29 August 2019In 2019 Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources was liquidated and merged
Energy and environmental protection Prime Minister(s) Name Term of office Start EndIn 2019 Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources merged with Ministry of Energy and Coal MiningOleksiy HoncharukOleksiy Orzhel29 August 20194 March 2020Denys ShmyhalVitaliy Shubin (acting minister)11 March 202016 April 2020Olha Buslavets (acting minister)16 April 202027 May 2020
Environmental protection and natural resources Prime Minister(s) Name Term of office Start EndIn 2020 the Ministry of Energy and Environmental Protection merge was undone and the Ministry of Environmental Protection reemergedDenys ShmyhalRoman Abramovsky19 June 20203 November 2021MPs dismiss Abramovsky as Ukraine's environment minister, Ukrinform (3 November 2021)Denys ShmyhalRuslan Strilets3 November 2021 appointed acting minister and on 14 April 2022 appointed ministerRada Appoints Strelets Environmental Protection Minister, Ukrainian News Agency (14 April 2022)4 September 2024The head of the Ministry of Environment Ruslan Strilets was dismissed from office, Hromadske (4 September 2024)Denys ShmyhalSvitlana Hrynchuk5 September 2024The Ministry of Environment was headed by Deputy Minister of Energy Svitlana Hrynchuk, Hromadske (5 September 2024)17 July 2025
See also Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on issues of ecological policy Emerald Network of Ukraine
References
External links Official Website of the Ukrainian Ministry of Ecology