Firewood and bonfires: what discussions have ignited as the cold weather approaches and why they matter.

As temperatures drop to zero, Ukraine faces the prospect of a harsh winter and prolonged blackouts: demand for electricity is increasing by 20-25%, but it will be difficult to meet this demand amid repeated Russian attacks on infrastructure, writes Deutsche Welle. “The country has already experienced power outages lasting 8-12 hours a day, and according to UN estimates, this could rise to 18 hours during the winter season,” DW summarizes.

Politico offers a more pessimistic assessment, suggesting 20-hour blackouts. Russia controls the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe. However, the EU compensates for the loss of its output, quoting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. By assisting with repairs and energy supplies, Brussels covers 25% of Kyiv's winter energy needs. Yet, it is reported that “there are no guarantees that the restored infrastructure won't be destroyed again.”

Mutual strikes on energy facilities have once again become a topic of negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, writes the Financial Times. “The dialogue was interrupted following the start of hostilities in the Kursk region, and now Ukraine, mediated by Qatar, is trying to resume it,” FT emphasizes. The publication notes that such an agreement would mark “the most significant de-escalation since hostilities began in 2022.”

In this context, it is noteworthy that a political scientist close to Bankova, in a conversation with Lenta.UA, emphasized that “such movements are indeed taking place, but it cannot yet be said that the situation has moved significantly from a standstill.” Back in August, The Washington Post reported that Ukraine and the Russian Federation were supposed to send delegations to Doha (Qatar) for negotiations on an agreement to cease strikes on energy infrastructure from both sides, but the “dialogue” was derailed by a Ukrainian military operation in the Kursk region.

According to the Ministry of Energy, since October 2022, the aggressor country has launched over a thousand strikes on domestic energy infrastructure. Just this year, 9 GW of generating capacity has been lost due to attacks by the Russians. At the same time, since the beginning of 2024, Russian oil refineries have been regularly attacked by Ukrainian drones. President Zelensky referred to attacks on Russian oil refineries as a response to strikes by Russian forces on Ukraine's energy sector.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, there has been lively discussion in recent days about another thematic case, specifically the “firewood law.” This is how the recently adopted law by the Verkhovna Rada is referred to in the Ukrainian segment of social media, aimed at tightening responsibility for illegal logging and illegal “schemes” with timber. Why “firewood law”? Because the document includes an article that directly concerns ordinary citizens who are stockpiling firewood for the winter.

If we set aside the firewood aspect that has spawned numerous memes, the new law contains many articles aimed at environmental protection. The authors refer to EU legislation, where stringent requirements for environmental preservation have long been in place and, it must be said, are extremely effective. In our country, articles of the Criminal and Administrative Codes that impose restrictions and various types of penalties in this area were introduced back in 2018. Citing the fact that existing norms leave much to be desired in terms of effectiveness both de facto and de jure, lawmakers have strengthened the responsibility for those engaged in mass logging and timber transactions. Moreover, this responsibility extends to illegal logging in parks, squares, and nature reserves.

It is important to emphasize that the specific wording of the term “firewood” is not mentioned in the law at all. Meanwhile, “wood” refers to various materials – firewood, boards, beams, and other products, not just trees. In fact, the article of the law that caused the most outrage among ordinary Ukrainians pertains to imposing hefty fines and even imprisonment for “storage, transportation, or sale of timber without proper documentation.” Critics of the law believe that the definition of “storage” directly affects those who prepare and store firewood for winter, not just participants in the black timber market.

The law stipulates that if the value of the timber is assessed at more than 30,000 hryvnias, the fine may range from 34,000 to 51,000 UAH or imprisonment for up to three years. If the value exceeds 90,000 hryvnias, the fine ranges from 170,000 to 425,000 hryvnias or imprisonment for 5 to 7 years. Firewood owners must have documents proving where and how they acquired it – receipts, checks, invoices, and so on. And the absence of these documents may serve as grounds for a fine or more severe criminal penalties.

The law also includes provisions for penalties for haymaking and grazing livestock, harvesting reeds, and unauthorized collection of wild fruits, nuts, mushrooms, and berries in areas where this is prohibited or allowed only with permission from forestry authorities. The fines set out in the law for these offenses are up to 850 hryvnias.

One of the authors of the “firewood law,” MP from the pro-presidential “Servant of the People” party, Maksym Pavliuk, categorically denies any threats to those who gather firewood for personal use. The representative of the “green” faction assures that the law is not aimed at the population using firewood for heating their homes, but against “illegal loggers” and unauthorized sawmills profiting from stolen timber. “A person bears no responsibility for storing 30 cubic meters of pine firewood or 15 cubic meters of oak. This is the amount needed by a household for the heating season, with even a bit extra. Therefore, for ordinary households that do not engage in processing or selling timber on an industrial scale, this bill will have no significant impact. Moreover, technically, these provisions of the law will not come into effect until the preparation for the next heating season begins,” Pavliuk assures.

Experts also emphasize that the law has not yet come into force, and when it does, it will not, like any other law, have retroactive effect. In other words, the police will not have the right to demand any documents about where a person obtained firewood or other timber here and now. Nevertheless, the “firewood law” is being criticized extensively.

“This absurd story about firewood is mockery of people and eurointegration. A tough winter lies ahead. The government barely lifts a finger to prepare the country for it, yet they are planning to fine and imprison those who stockpiled firewood to survive this ordeal. The initiators of the idea present it as a requirement from the EU. They claim, ‘Here’s your eurointegration!’ But this is incorrect! We indeed have important obligations to protect the environment, but the deadlines for fulfilling them are not yet clearly established, meaning this is far from the most urgent eurointegration tasks! Strengthening responsibility for illegal logging is indeed part of EU law, but the specific forms and degree of responsibility for damage are determined by national states themselves. Not to mention that in such a difficult situation as we are currently in, we also have the option of deferring the fulfillment of even clearly defined eurointegration tasks. In general, if there were a sincere desire to stop illegal logging, the first step would be to regulate the situation in forestry, and only then hold accountable those who are illegally logging, rather than those who purchase timber. And for this, law enforcement and the judiciary are needed, and this is precisely an urgent requirement from the EU, clearly outlined in the recent European Commission report – the reform of justice,” protests Ivanna Klimpush-Tsintsadze, an MP from the political force of former President Poroshenko, who, however, had a full five-year term to implement this very judicial reform.

Meanwhile, former Minister of Housing and Communal Services and MP from the “Fatherland” party Oleksiy Kucherenko ironically remarks: “In principle, there will need to be an immediate establishment of a ‘firewood control inspection’ with voluntary on-site brigades – firewood patrols. And definitely with a supervisory board. An impenetrable scheme!”.

However, setting jokes aside, it should be noted that a significant new provision in the “firewood law” is the substantial increase in fines for arsonists. Specifically, the document stipulates that the destruction or damage of forests, green spaces, stubble, meadows, pastures, or areas with steppe, wetland, or other vegetation by fire or another dangerous method will be punishable by a fine of three thousand to five thousand non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens, that is, from 51,000 UAH to 85,000 hryvnias. If the actions cause significant harm to the environment, the fine will range from 91,800 UAH to 153,000 UAH. Also, for such an offense, in addition to monetary penalties, a specific prison term is provided, ranging from two to five years, or imprisonment for a similar period.