Ukraine: Over 400 illegal filling stations closed

407 illegal gas stations have been detected and closed in nine regions since the beginning of this year.

Ukraine's SBU Security Service has stopped the operation of 407 illegal filling stations in nine regions of Ukraine, according to SBU press center.

"As a result of the verification measures, 407 illegal gas stations have been detected and closed in nine regions since the beginning of this year," the report reads.

SBU exposed 285 illegal gas stations in the Kyiv region, 38 in the Khmelnytskyi region, 52 in the southern region (25 in Odesa, 19 in Mykolaiv, and 8 in Zaporizhia), 16 in central Ukraine and 16 in the area of the Joint Forces Operation.

The fuel stations were closed and counterfeit fuel and lubricants were seized, as these sites were selling products of dubious quality in violation of safety rules and without the relevant permits.

On 26 December 2019, Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk announced that the State Fiscal Service, law enforcement and control authorities would resolve the problem of illegal fuel sale by 9 January 2020. On 28 December, the SBU already ceased the operation of nearly 300 illegal filling stations across all regions of Ukraine.