Court returns warehouses in Odesa to the Ministry of Defense

The Commercial Court of Odesa Region upheld the claim of the Deputy Head of the Odesa Specialized Defense Prosecutor's Office of the Southern Region and invalidated the contract concluded to the detriment of the state's interests, which led to a shortfall in budget revenues.

This was reported by the press service of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office.

According to the agency, in January 2025, a private enterprise and the Concern "Voynoktorhservice" signed a service agreement that actually concealed the lease of warehouse space of 1043.5 square meters, which belongs to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The market value of this property is UAH 2.9 million.

The prosecutors proved that the transaction was concluded in violation of the current legislation - without mandatory licensing procedures and approvals. In accordance with the established requirements, the lease of real estate of the Ministry of Defense is possible only on a competitive basis, with the property being appraised and the appropriate amount of rent determined. Failure to comply with these conditions resulted in budget losses.

The court ordered the private company to vacate the premises, which will ensure the return of the property to state ownership represented by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

In September, the Supreme Court finally confirmed the invalidity of the disputed contract, which resulted in the state receiving less than the rent. The prosecutors proved that the agreement was executed in violation of the law - without the required approvals and permits of the State Property Fund of Ukraine. The lease of real estate owned by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine should be carried out only through a tender with an assessment of its value and determination of the rent.

In early September, the Court of Appeal also upheld a lawsuit filed by prosecutors of the Chernivtsi Specialized Defense Prosecutor's Office of the Western Region and returned the recreation center in the village of Zatoka, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district, Odesa region, to state ownership.

The Meteor base, which belonged to the Ministry of Defense, was sold at auction on April 15, 2013. Prosecutors insisted that the auction was held in gross violation of the law and at a low price. The base was sold for UAH 1 million. In 2014, the prosecutor' s office announced that it had won in court, but the base was never returned and the litigation continued. At least the prosecutor's office reported that the base had been returned to the Ministry of Defense several times.

Кирило Бойко