Ministry of Forestry Finds Violations in Protective Forest Trail Construction

The construction of a trail on Kharlakhtinsky Golets violated forest legislation, with inspection materials forwarded to law enforcement agencies. The area contains protective forests bordering the 'Gates of Baikal' special economic zone.

Feb 2, 2026

The Forestry Ministry found violations during a trail construction project in a protected forest area near Baikal.
Source:
Alena Kashparova / IrCity

During the construction of a trail on Kharlakhtinsky Golets, which involved the use of heavy machinery, forest legislation was violated on forest fund lands. The inspection materials have been handed over to law enforcement agencies to identify those responsible, IrCity was informed by the Ministry of Forestry of the Irkutsk Region in a response to a request.

A construction area is visible near the starting point of the trail in the Kharlakhta River valley.
Source:
2GIS

The ministry noted that the forest fund lands in this area are closely adjacent to the special economic zone «Gates of Baikal», where tourism development is primarily associated with the construction of hotel infrastructure.

However, violations were found precisely on forest fund lands, and the forests here are considered protective: since they are located along a water body, they act as spawning protection and forbidden strips. The ministry did not issue permits for the construction of a trail along the Kharlakhta River.

The Ministry of Forestry also recalled that the Slyudyansky District is part of the central ecological zone of the Baikal natural territory, therefore forest protection falls under the federal law on Lake Baikal. Even taking into account the changes that will come into force on March 1, clear-cutting of trees on forest fund lands and specially protected natural areas is prohibited except for measures for forest reproduction.

«Thus, in the central ecological zone, clear-cutting of dead forest stands that have lost their environment-forming, water conservation, sanitary-hygienic, health-improving and other useful functions is allowed if selective cutting does not ensure the replacement of such forest stands with healthy trees,» the response to the request notes.

Recall that the construction of a trail along the route Baikalsk — Kharlakhta River — Porozhisty Peak is part of the master plan for the development of Baikalsk, which was developed by the Moscow design bureau Strelka on the order of the Baikal Region Development Center («Baikal.Center») — a subsidiary of VEB.RF.

However, earlier the press service of VEB.RF did not comment on the construction of the new trail to IrCity, recommending to contact the administration of Baikalsk. The head of the single-industry town Vasily Temgenevsky told an IrCity correspondent that he does not know who is carrying out the work, and generally referred to the fact that the trail is being built as part of a separate direction — the special economic zone «Gates of Baikal».

The editorial office of IrCity also sent a request regarding the construction of the trail to the Ministry of Economic Development of the Irkutsk Region — the ministry oversees, among other things, the development of the special economic zone «Gates of Baikal». The ministry noted that the master plan is the developers« recommendations for the best development of the territory. The next step in working with this document is searching for investors to implement the projects.

«The Ministry of Economic Development and Industry of the Irkutsk Region does not have information about such an investment project,» the ministry added.

Note that construction is also underway in the Kharlakhta River valley. According to information that recently appeared on 2GIS maps, a hotel complex is being built here — exactly within the boundaries of the special economic zone.

The editorial office of IrCity sent an additional request regarding the construction of the trail and the hotel complex in the Kharlakhta valley to the administration of Baikalsk and the company managing the «Gates of Baikal» — JSC «Special Economic Zone Irkutsk».

Note, it became known earlier that after the publication of IrCity«s report on what is happening on Kharlakhtinsky Golets, the West Baikal Interdistrict Environmental Prosecutor»s Office organized an inspection. At the request of the agency, authorized control (supervision) bodies, as well as law enforcement agencies, are conducting inspections of compliance with federal legislation.

Based on the results of the inspections, if violations are found, prosecutorial response measures will be taken, the agency noted.