Sienkevych responded to criticism following the Ministry of Economy’s approval to build an OKKO petrol station amongst the oak trees

In Mykolaiv, there are plans to fell trees at the site of a petrol station under construction. Photo: NikVesti

Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych has stated that he does not support the construction of a petrol station in a green area and has denied reports of alleged plans to fell trees.

He wrote about this on his Telegram channel.

The mayor stated that Mykolaiv is acting within the framework of current legislation and taking the community’s position into account. He recalled that the project had previously failed to receive a positive conclusion on two occasions, in particular due to comments from the Housing and Utilities Department regarding the environmental impact assessment report.

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At the same time, he writes, the Ministry of Economy gave a positive opinion on the construction, leaving the issue of tree removal to be considered by the city council.

The mayor emphasised that no decisions regarding the felling of oak trees have been made at this stage.

«The construction has been approved, but the issue of felling has been passed on to the city. No decisions regarding the felling of oak trees have been made, nor have any been made in the past. This is a great topic for PR, hype, manipulation and playing on people’s emotions. I appeal to the townspeople: focus on the facts, not on sensational statements. The city is operating transparently,» wrote the mayor.

As a reminder, residents of the Inhulskyi district of Mykolaiv have appealed to councillor Ihor Kopytin, asking him to intervene in the situation surrounding the planned construction of a petrol station complex at the junction of Bohoiavlensky Avenue and Kobera Street. Local residents are demanding that the green space be preserved and that the felling of 192 trees, including mature oaks, be prevented. Following this, the MP appealed to Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko and asked her to intervene in the situation.

It was previously reported that the Mykolaiv Housing and Utilities Department had identified inaccuracies in the environmental impact assessment report regarding the construction of a petrol station complex in Mykolaiv, in the park near Zoria. The department is advising the company to abandon the construction or relocate the facility to another site.

As is known, on 23 February, a second public hearing was held regarding the construction of the petrol station in the park near Zoria. Representatives of the developer faced a barrage of criticism from local residents, who vowed to defend the green space.

Larysa Leonova, an eco-activist and head of the organisation Eco-Oberih Mykolaiv, reported violations during the public discussion of the construction of the petrol station, which is planned to be built on the site of the green space.

The Ministry of Economy held a second public consultation on the construction of the petrol station. The previous public hearing took place online on 2 July 2025. At that time, participants criticised the EIA report and accused the developer of plagiarism.

In November 2025, readers of NikVesti drew attention to markings on oak trees and expressed concern that the area might be cleared for the construction of a petrol station. Following this, environmentalists inspected the oak trees along Kobera Street in Mykolaiv, near the Zorya factory. According to the inspectors’ findings, all the trees are in satisfactory condition, the markings were applied haphazardly, and there are no grounds for felling them.

Read also the article «How, instead of going to court, did the city council hand over land for the construction of a petrol station in Mykolaiv?».