Firewood suppliers for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Mykolaiv region bypass investigation

The investigation into the case of millions of dollars in overpayments for firewood for the military in Mykolaiv has become complicated. All four suppliers have re-registered their companies to fictitious foreigners.

This was reported by Nikcenter.

In 2022-2023, the Mykolaiv Housing and Maintenance Department (KMD) purchased 10,000 cubic meters of firewood for the needs of military units at a price of UAH 2,940-3,290 per cubic meter, which was almost three times the market value of wood. The procurement was conducted without open tenders, through direct contracts with four suppliers. The contracts amounted to over UAH 46 million.

According to the ruling of the Ingul District Court, investigators of the State Bureau of Investigation charged the officials of the State Enterprise for the use of power under Article 426-1 (5) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - abuse of power by a military official that caused significant damage under martial law. The punishment under this article is eight to 12 years in prison. The scheme involved the head of KEU, Oleksandr Martsokha, who involved the head of the fuel group and an authorized person of the enterprise.

In June 2025, the Ingulsky District Court of Mykolaiv scheduled a hearing on the indictment, but Martsokha's defense lawyers are appealing the decision. In July, the Criminal Court of Cassation transferred the appeal to the Odesa Court of Appeal.

If the case goes to court, it will be difficult to find the documents and executors of the transactions: the supplier companies used the scheme of "moose" - fake foreign owners. Some companies have changed owners for the second time since the investigation began.

For example, the former Prima Terra LLC was renamed Slida and moved from Mykolaiv to Kyiv, and owned by Kanat Urazbekov, a resident of Pavlohrad who owns more than thirty companies across Ukraine. Temniy Promin LLC changed its owners and place of registration twice, and its type of activity was changed from trading in building materials to organizing burials. Sangria Lux PE was transferred to Zulaykho Rakhmatillaeva and renamed Zulay, and registered in Kyiv. Light Green LLC was also re-registered to Uzbek citizen Nodir Yuldashev and moved to Kyiv, receiving a new name, Torlas.

After the re-registration, these companies stopped participating in public procurement and are not actually engaged in commercial activities.

The large-scale practice of using foreign "moose" to conceal ownership has spread among companies associated with public figures. This allows changing the director, accountant, legal address and owner, making it difficult to conduct searches and seizures of documents.

Among the "elks" is the owner of Rotor Ukraine LLC, Alimkan Ashyralieva from Kyrgyzstan, who is linked by the media to MP Ihor Kopytin. Millionaire local MP Serhiy Shulhach also re-registered two of his road companies to foreigners, both of whom moved to Kyiv in 2023.

In June, cash seized during a search in Mykolaiv as part of a criminal investigation into embezzlement in the defense sector was seized. According to the investigation, the head of the Mykolaiv Municipal Economic Development Department is under suspicion of having organized illegal transactions together with entrepreneurs and a commercial firm.

Анна Бальчінос