Residents of Mykolaiv are complaining about dangerous poplar trees, but there is no money to remove them
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- Darina MelnychukCorrespondent
Dangerous trees at 27 1st Line in Mykolaiv. Photo: Liudmyla CherniaievaResidents of Mykolaiv are complaining about dangerous trees in the Inhulskyi district near a high-rise block at 27 1st Line. The city council replied that the trees had been inspected, but there is currently no funding available for their pruning.
Liudmyla Cherniaieva sent a complaint to the Contact Centre group at Mykolaiv City Council, according to NikVesti.
According to residents, the trees are in a dangerous condition and could fall onto the residential building during bad weather. People fear that the trees could damage the roof, windows and utilities, so they are asking for them to be cut down urgently.
In addition, a heating pipeline runs alongside the building, which could be damaged by the trees if they fall.
«During bad weather, there is a real danger of trees or large branches falling onto the building. We ask that the relevant services be sent to inspect the area and urgently fell the hazardous trees in order to prevent an emergency,» wrote Liudmyla Cherniaieva.
«The photo clearly shows that the tree is on the verge of shattering the glass in the windows and on the balconies. It goes without saying that a heating pipeline runs directly beneath it. What will happen if the tree damages it when it falls? We ask you to urgently look into this and take immediate action to eliminate the danger!» wrote Tamara Pankova.
Comments under the post. Screenshot from the Contact Centre groupFollowing the post, the complaint was registered and forwarded for action. The website of the department handling citizens’ complaints states that the removal of the trees is expected to take almost a month. However, Liudmyla Cherniaieva noted in the comments that the trees had already been inspected, but residents of the building were told that there was no funding available for their felling.
«Today, the emergency services rang and said that our dangerous trees have already been inspected. Now we have to wait until the city council allocates the funding. Only then might the trees be felled. But the question arises: do we really have to wait until a disaster strikes and the trees fall on houses or people?» writes Liudmyla Cherniaieva.
In addition, resident of Mykolaiv Antonivka Halkina noted that the trees’ roots had been deliberately cut, but Liudmyla Cherniaieva and other residents of the building refute this information.
«Of course, the trees have started to lean after their roots were deliberately cut. People should be fined for this. First, we should call in the environmental inspectorate to assess the extent of the damage,» comments Antonivka Halkina.
«Nobody deliberately cut the roots; this isn’t the work of the building’s residents! The trees have been in a dangerous condition for a long time, and now they pose a risk to people and the building. That is precisely why a request was made to the administration to prevent a disaster. And the city administration itself granted permission for the work being carried out. We need to avoid an unpleasant situation that could arise,» replied Liudmyla Cherniaieva.
«The trees have been in this condition for years. The situation is very dangerous because the poplars are practically peering into the flats’ windows,» agreed Tetiana Podkopai.
The trees at 27 1st Line in Mykolaiv are in a dangerous condition. Photo: Liudmyla Cherniaieva
The trees at 27 1st Line in Mykolaiv are in a dangerous condition. Photo: Liudmyla Cherniaieva
The trees at 27 1st Line in Mykolaiv are in a dangerous condition. Photo: Liudmyla CherniaievaAs a reminder, during an open staff meeting at Mykolaiv City Council, it was stated that the municipal services are unable to keep up with processing residents’ reports regarding hazardous trees and dangerous branches. Over 1,200 requests remain pending. This was discussed during the open staff meeting
Furthermore, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych emphasised at the time that the city is responsible for the safety of residents and the proper condition of green spaces, so the issue of hazardous trees must be a priority.
As a reminder, at the end of April, strong winds in Mykolaiv knocked down over 160 trees. In total, the municipal utility received over 120 reports of fallen trees at various addresses due to the bad weather.
Recently, residents of Mykolaiv have asked the city authorities to inspect and remove hazardous trees in the courtyards of residential buildings, near playgrounds and in pedestrian areas. Residents are complaining about dry branches, rotten trunks and trees that could fall during bad weather.
In 2025, the executive committee of Mykolaiv City Council adopted new procedures for the removal of trees, shrubs and other greenery in the city. Residents must now apply directly to the municipal enterprise «Mykolaiv Parks» to request the felling of trees.
In early 2026, it emerged that the city authorities wanted to simplify the tree felling procedure. As explained by Ihor Nabatov, Deputy Director of the Mykolaiv Department of Housing and Communal Services, this concerns trees that pose a potential threat to people, transport and property due to damage or other defects.
Subsequently, the executive committee approved amendments to the procedure for the removal of green spaces, which allow for the felling of hazardous, dead and defective trees (with damage and defects to the trunks of various origins, — note) by a majority decision of the members of a special commission.
The scandal over the felling of oak trees in Mykolaiv
As is known, preparatory work for the construction of an OKKO petrol station and shops began in the Inhulskyi district of Mykolaiv this spring. The site is located at the junction of Bohoiavlenskyi Avenue and Kober Street — in a green area between high-rise buildings and the territory of the state-owned enterprise «Zoria»-«Mashproekt». On 7 May, the contractor, together with a representative of the State Environmental Inspectorate, surveyed the site. According to the calculations, 182 trees are planned to be felled for the project — mainly oak trees aged 40–60 years.
It should be noted that preliminary public hearings were held online on 2 July. At that time, participants criticised the environmental impact assessment report and accused the developer’s representatives of plagiarism.
Mykolaiv’s chief architect, Yevhen Poliakov, also criticised the developer. Although he had previously expressed surprise that nearly two hundred mature oak trees were planned to be felled on the plot. Yevhen Poliakov stated that he had not agreed to the felling of oaks on this site; on the contrary, he had required the tenant to plant an additional 57 trees, and this, he said, was stipulated in the lease agreement. Furthermore, Mykolaiv’s chief architect asserts that the company «Svit Zdoroviia» has no right to «carry out actions that will lead to a change in the environmental situation», despite the fact that the very construction of the petrol station will already impact the environmental situation there.
For more details on the matter, read the article «How, instead of going to court, did the city council hand over land for the construction of a petrol station in Mykolaiv?».
This material was produced within the REACH – Media Partnerships for Accountability and Trust project, implemented by International Media Support (IMS) and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. The content reflects the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the Danish government. Denmark’s support strengthens civil society and independent media in Ukraine, including in Mykolaiv.
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