The lawyer called the punishment for illegal felling of trees

Russia provides for both administrative fines and criminal liability, including imprisonment, for illegal tree felling. Alexander Khaminsky, a lawyer and head of the Law Enforcement Center in Moscow and the Moscow Region, told Izvestia on April 8.

According to the expert, illegal logging is considered any cutting or cutting of trees, shrubs and lianas without appropriate permission or in violation of its conditions. It can be about the lack of necessary documents, or about exceeding the permissible cutting volume. The amount of punishment depends on the damage caused and the circumstances of the offense.

"If the damage from unauthorized logging is found to be insignificant, the offender will face administrative punishment, which will entail the imposition of an administrative fine on citizens in the amount of 3 thousand to 4 thousand rubles, and on legal entities — from 200 thousand to 300 thousand rubles," Khaminsky said.

He clarified that when using machinery or logging in forest-park green belts, sanctions are tightened. In such cases, the fine for citizens can reach 5,000 rubles with confiscation of wood, and for legal entities — up to 500,000 rubles, the expert explained. In case of significant damage, criminal liability ensues.

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"If the damage is found to be significant (for example, a rare tree was cut down), the offender may be brought to criminal responsibility. In this case, the fine may amount to up to 3 million rubles. In addition, it is already possible to receive a punishment in the form of real imprisonment for up to 2 years," the lawyer emphasized.

Khaminsky added that the amount of damage is calculated according to a special methodology established by the government. The damage is considered to be large from 50 thousand rubles, especially large — from 150 thousand rubles.

Lawyer, Ph.D. in Economics, Managing Partner of the Zharov Group Law Firm, head of the Russian Bar Association's Commission on Ecology, Evgeny Zharov, noted on April 4 that a fine could be imposed for feeding wild animals in the city or in specially protected natural areas. According to him, such actions change the natural behavior of animals, they lose their fear of humans, which is dangerous for both sides.

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