Court resumes proceedings in case of 2 square kilometers of Odesa coast

The Economic Court of Odesa Region has resumed proceedings in the case brought by the Prymorskyi District Prosecutor's Office of Odesa, which is trying to cancel the lease agreement concluded in 2019 between the city's Department of Communal Property and the private firm Remfa Media.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations with reference to a court ruling.

It is a plot of 2,200 square meters on Lanzheron Beach. Prosecutors are convinced that the transfer of this territory to private hands took place in violation of the law, and now the state is demanding that the agreement be terminated and the beach returned to the city.

The essence of this legal detective story lies in the technical definition of the object. In February 2026, the process had to be paused because the judge ordered a complex comprehensive examination. The experts have to answer a question that seems absurd at first glance: whether the twenty-two hundred square meters of sand between the first and second traverses are ordinary land or a technical coastal protection structure. This is not just a terminological dispute, because according to the law, the sea coast cannot be simply leased as a land plot.

However, calling the beach an "artificial structure" opens up loopholes for commercial use. Now experts have to find out whether this sand is part of a large engineering complex that protects Odesa from landslides, and whether it is possible to conduct a cadastral survey of it.

In early April, experts from the Odesa Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise informed the court that the available documents were not enough for them to make a final conclusion. They requested a whole package of additional documents: from the exact coordinates of the boundaries in the state system to reports on the independent assessment of the value of the object and digital maps of the city's General Plan.

In addition, due to the large number of complex cases, the experts asked the court to allow them to work on this task longer than the usual three months. The court met the scientists halfway, ordering the mayor's office and the tenants to provide all the necessary figures and vectors.

The situation with Lanzheron Beach is a landmark for Odesa, as it demonstrates how recreational areas are gradually being transferred to private use under the guise of leasing technical facilities. The judge scheduled the next preparatory hearing for May 11.

By this time, Remfa Media has to pay the bill for the experts' work, and the city authorities have to find and hand over all archival and geodetic materials to the institute. Only after the experts put an end to the question of whether it is land or a structure will the court be able to make a final verdict: whether the beach will remain in private hands or whether fences on the sand will become illegal.

Кирило Бойко