Companies from Zelensky's orbit received hundreds of millions for Kherson region fortifications

Companies engaged in the construction of fortifications in Kherson and Zhytomyr regions are involved in schemes with alleged overstatement of the cost of work by tens of millions of hryvnias or were used as intermediaries to cash out budget funds.

Bihus.Info journalists found out that both organizations may have ties to people in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's inner circle.

In 2024, the government allocated about 40 billion hryvnias for the construction of defensive fortifications. Much of this money went through regional state administrations, which signed contracts with contractors. Bihus.Info investigators analyzed how the budget money was spent and found possible financial misuse in at least several regions, including Kherson.

In the Kherson region, 280 million hryvnias were allocated to Global Build Engineering . Instead of purchasing materials directly from manufacturers, the contractor purchased them from a little-known company called Dnipro Promsnab Torg, which has all the hallmarks of a "gasket company" - that is, a company created specifically to resell goods at a premium.

This company first bought anti-tank pyramids and concrete blocks from manufacturers and then sold them to Global Build Engineering at inflated prices. The overpayment on these items alone could have amounted to up to UAH 35 million. At the same time, it turned out that the owner of Dnipro Promsnab Torg, Vitaliy Ponomarenko, also received profits from Global Build Engineering, which indicates a close relationship between the companies. Thus, the markup was created intentionally, and the budget money probably remained within the same group.

This company has repeatedly appeared in both journalistic and criminal investigations.

Earlier, a connection was found between Global Build Engineering and Anton Samoilenko, deputy head of the Kherson Regional Military District Administration. Since the end of last year, this company has been actively operating in the Kherson region. It turned out that it had been bought out by a group of businessmen who had previously been involved in road repairs in eastern Ukraine. Samoilenko is responsible for rebuilding the region, and it was after his appointment that the company, without the necessary experience, began to receive large contracts.

According to the YouControl online service, the company was registered in 2017 with a registered capital of UAH 10 million, and its main activity is the construction of residential and non-residential buildings. The company's founder is Serhiy Tolstikov, and it has received contracts worth more than UAH 1.6 billion in public tenders.

As Intent previously reported, the company is not only engaged in defense procurement. In December last year, the Department of Territorial Development of the Kherson Regional State Administration signed a contract with Global Build Engineering LLC for the repair of a school worth UAH 28.3 million. The company was to repair the building of the Vysokopil hub school and build a shelter on its territory.

In May 2024, the High Anti-Corruption Court ruled to enter into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations information about a possible criminal offense committed by representatives of the Department of Territorial Development of the Kherson Regional State Administration together with Global Build Engineering LLC under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - misappropriation or embezzlement of property through abuse of office.

The applicant filed a complaint with the investigating judge against the action of NABU officials in the case related to the overhaul of the Vysokopil school and the construction of a protective structure.

In November 2024, the Department of Civil Protection and Defense of the Kherson Regional State Administration signed six contracts for the installation of fortifications in the region for a total of UAH 163.4 million. The contracts were awarded to companies with dubious reputations, including our member firm.

Анна Бальчінос