The Service for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure in Kherson Oblast has begun implementing a project to strengthen the region’s critical infrastructure.
As indicated on the Prozorro portal, the Service signed three contracts totaling over 191.5 million UAH for emergency reconstruction and protection of critical infrastructure facilities in the territories of the Kherson, Chornobaiv, and Velyka Oleksandrivka communities.
All three contracts were concluded without open tenders. The purpose of such urgent procurements, as stated in the justifications, is to strengthen defense against potential threats and optimize the protection of critical infrastructure.
The work was distributed among three companies whose commercial proposals were recognized as the most economically advantageous.
LLC “European Road Construction Company” received a contract in the Chornobaiv community worth over 64 million UAH, LLC “Global Build Engineering” will carry out work in the Velyka Oleksandrivka community for 63.5 million UAH, and the facility in the Kherson community will be reconstructed by LLC “Ukrbud-Project-Reconstruction” for over 64 million UAH.
It should be noted that each of these companies has a dubious reputation, and some have even been implicated in corruption scandals.
LLC “European Road Construction Company” is not working for the first time. In 2023 the company received a contract to build a modular town for internally displaced persons worth 12.7 million UAH and has already handled road maintenance in the region and repeatedly received contracts to service roads.
Currently “YEDBK” belongs to Odesa businessman Muslim Kyeloev. For a long time he supplied petroleum products to the seaports of the Odesa region. Also Muslim Kyeloev is the son of the head of the Odesa regional organization “Diaspora of the Chechen People,” Musa Kyeloev, who is a citizen of Russia.
LLC “Global Build Engineering” is registered in the Kyiv region and belongs to Serhiy Tolstikov from Donetsk.
In May this year journalists from Bihus.info suspected the company of overpayments on building materials during the construction of fortifications in the Kherson region. Also, as the journalists claimed, the company is linked to the deputy head of the Kherson OVA Anton Samoylenko, but he stated that he has neither personal nor business ties with the company.
LLC “Ukrbud-Project-Reconstruction.” The founder of this company is listed as Volodymyr Mahlyovanyy from Kramatorsk in Donetsk. However, among the list of former ultimate beneficiaries one can see David Kizimenko from Brovary, who is suspected of embezzling budget funds that were allocated in 2023 for the restoration of the Sumy region. In addition, David Kizimenko’s father — an occupation-era official of Sevastopol and billionaire Oleg Kizimenko — and his brother Mark Kizimenko has a record of criminal cases and has been under suspicion at least twice.
It should be noted that all works are being carried out within the framework of an experimental project on the protection of critical infrastructure facilities, approved by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 142. The project is financed from the reserve fund of the state budget, the funds of which were allocated to strengthen the country’s defense capability.