Corruption, 30 million, and schemes: school shelter embezzlement exposed in Kherson

In Kherson, the court granted investigators temporary access to documentation on the construction of radiation shelters for schools. The case concerns possible misappropriation or embezzlement of budget funds.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

According to the investigation, in September 2024, the customer entered into contract No. 19/10 with Budpostach-STSV for the construction of a civil defense facility (radiation shelter) on the territory of one of the Kherson schools. Based on the KB-2v form certificates of completion, the contractor was paid UAH 32,362,961.69. In April 2025, the contract was terminated by an additional agreement.

Thereafter, in April 2025, the customer entered into a new contract - contract No. 30/04 - with another contractor to complete the works at the same address. According to the act of May 2025, the completion of works worth UAH 5.7 million was declared, but this act was not paid due to the actual failure to complete the works. In July 2025, this contract was also terminated.

The circumstances of the construction of a shelter on the territory of another school in the city are being investigated separately. In September 2024, contract No. 20/09 was signed with a company under which the contractor was paid UAH 4.3 million. In December of the same year, the agreement was terminated. Instead, at the end of 2024, the customer signed a new contract No. 24/12 with another contractor. He was paid UAH 25.9 million according to the certificates of completion. In July 2025, this contract was also terminated.

Technical supervision of both facilities was carried out by individual entrepreneurs under separate contracts, which were also subsequently terminated.

As part of the case, a construction and technical expertise was ordered. The investigator filed a motion with the court to provide a full package of documents - contracts with additional agreements, design estimates, local estimates, KB-2v acts, work logs, acts for closing hidden works, documents on the cost of materials and equipment, as well as internal administrative documents of the client institution.

Having considered the investigator's motion, the judge concluded that these materials are essential for establishing the circumstances of the case and granted temporary access to the documents with the possibility of their seizure. The obtained materials will be used to verify the actual scope of work performed. Also, the expediency of spending budget funds on the construction of shelters in Kherson schools

According to the YouControl analytical system, Budpostach-STSV LLC was registered in Ivano-Frankivsk in 2015. In 2023, the company became one of the key contractors of the Kherson authorities.

The head of the company is Oleksandr Novokhatskyi. The company has been working in public procurement since 2016 and has signed contracts for more than UAH 405 million, mainly for the repair and construction of shelters in Kherson.

In January 2025, the founder of Budpostach-STSV was arrested by the Central District Court of Mykolaiv.

According to the investigation, he received 572 thousand hryvnias of illegal benefit from the head of Voltenergotrans LLC to influence officials of Khersonteploenergo. The bribe was for facilitating the conclusion of a contract dated December 4, 2024, and the subsequent unimpeded signing of certificates of completion. Investigators claim that the defendant demanded 10% of the contract value, which concerned the repair of the Regional Hospital for Rehabilitation Treatment.

In early February, the Center for Public Investigations wrote that a court in Kherson arrested the car of Novokhatskyi, the head of Budpostach-STSV LLC. This time, he is suspected of misappropriating funds while working at the perinatal center.

Анна Бальчінос