Heads of Two Zakarpattia Communities Seek to Sponsor the Development of the “Svydovets” Ski Resort

A roundtable discussion was recently held in the village of Yasinia, Zakarpattia region, focused on the proposed "Svydovets" ski resort. The event brought together local officials, community members, environmentalists, and economists to debate the potential benefits and challenges of constructing a major tourism complex, according to UNIAN.

Andrii Deliatynchuk, head of the Yasinia Territorial Community, stressed that for over five years, residents have been eager to launch a large-scale investment project in the area—one projected to create between 30,000 and 40,000 jobs and generate consistent tax revenue for local budgets. However, progress has stalled due to ongoing legal disputes with local logging businesses and opposition from environmental activists.

"All courts have confirmed the legality of the resort’s construction. Now, we simply need someone to officially take on the role of project sponsor. We are calling on the Zakarpattia Regional Administration to grant our community the authority to oversee the project documentation. We’re open to dialogue and fully committed to implementing this project in compliance with all environmental regulations. For the record, we invited the environmental activists to this discussion, but they chose not to attend. For us, this isn’t just about investment. It’s about addressing several pressing issues at once. First and foremost, the resort will provide 30,000 to 40,000 jobs for Zakarpattia residents. Second, it will bring in millions in local tax revenue. To illustrate, the village of Polyanytsia saw its budget increase 300-fold after its resort opened. Since then, no one from the village has left for work abroad. Land once privately owned and undervalued has become a highly valuable asset—its price has increased hundreds of times over. Locals have opened hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, shops, entertainment venues, and service businesses. Before the full-scale war, the resort drew more than a million tourists annually, a third of them from abroad."—Noted Andrii Deliatynchuk, head of the Yasinia Territorial Community."

He added that the project would also drastically improve regional infrastructure, with plans for centralized water supply systems, new roads, and more—all funded by investors. The anticipated total investment is $2 billion, and the investor will be selected through an open tender process.

At the same time, Stepan Pop, head of the Department of Physical Geography and Sustainable Land Use at Uzhhorod National University—and one of the experts behind the project’s environmental impact assessment—argued that deforestation would actually decrease if the resort is built, contrary to activists’ claims.

"To build Svydovets, selective logging would be carried out annually over an area of 35–38 hectares in zones already designated for industrial logging, and only for the next 12 years. The total area affected would not exceed 6% of the annual logging volume in the Chornotysianske, Dovzhanske, Stanyslavske, and Svydovetske forestry districts,"—Pop explained.

"To ensure compliance with environmental regulations, the Zakarpattia regional authorities commissioned an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report. More than 30 highly qualified Ukrainian scientists from a variety of disciplines were involved in its preparation. No construction can begin before the report is published, a public hearing is held, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection gives its approval. The planned development does not affect any protected natural areas—local, regional, or national—according to the official registry. There will be no construction on the Svydovets ridge itself. The tourist infrastructure will be located within the surrounding villages," —Stepan Pop concluded.

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