Jeeps destroyed plants and attacked tourists: conflicts near a lake are being investigated in the Carpathians

According to eyewitnesses, visitors to the reserve arrived at the lake in SUVs, damaged plants, and got into conflicts with other tourists.

Фото: Туристичний клуб "Едельвейс"/Threads

01 September 2026, 14:50

Over the week, several conflicts involving visitors who arrived at the reserve in jeeps occurred near the high-mountainous Apshynets lake in Transcarpathia. Posts were published on social media stating that unknown men in large cars were destroying plants, swimming in the reservoir, and behaving aggressively towards other tourists. The police are already conducting an investigation to identify those involved. This was reported by "Ukrainska Pravda."

It is noted that one of the incidents at Lake Apshynets, located at an altitude of almost 1.5 thousand meters above sea level, occurred on August 23.

The tourist club "Edelweiss" reported about a man who, despite the protected status of the area, drove to the reservoir in an SUV. Club representatives say that the driver ran over protected alpine pines with his wheels, drove his car into a spring, and swam in the mountain lake.

"He reacted to a tourist's remark like a savage: he attacked with stones and destroyed two tents of vacationers!" they stated at the club.

Threads user Iryna also recountedthat a similar incident occurred at the lake on August 29. On that day, the woman and her husband were running past Apshynets.

There, the couple encountered a group that had reached the reserve in four jeeps. According to Iryna, the tourists parked their cars near the reservoir, and when told about it, they responded with insults. Subsequently, the group of men started a fight.

"I heard every swear word imaginable. One of the group tried to assert his right by force and started following us, waving a towel. We ran to the top.

About three hours later, as we passed Lake Herashaska and were running downhill, I noticed three cars, which we had already met at Apshynets, heading towards us. They recognized us, blocked us with their jeeps, and the driver of one of the jeeps got out of the car and started a fight.

When I started filming, the jeep driver knocked the phone out of my hands with all his might. When I continued filming, his friends dragged him into the jeep, and the group drove off", the woman said.

Iryna claims that she reported the incident to the State Ecological Inspectorate and submitted an application through the "EcoZahroza" resource of the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture.

In a comment to "UP. Life," the Transcarpathian police reported that they had not received any complaints regarding the events. However, after the editorial office's inquiry, the information was registered in the unified log of applications and reports of criminal offenses and other incidents.

Currently, law enforcement officers are identifying the participants of the incident and conducting an investigation. The data about them will be transferred to the State Ecological Inspectorate, which is competent in handling similar incidents. The police say that, preliminarily, the incident constitutes an administrative offense.

We remind you that to report individuals who break the law and drive jeeps through protected areas, you can send an appeal to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine. More information can be found at the link.