Head of the Construction Department of Yuzhnoukrainsk seized an apartment for embezzlement

An official of the Yuzhnoukrainsk City Council became a defendant in a criminal proceeding on suspicion of misappropriating budget funds allocated for the repair and installation of street lighting. The court arrested his apartment to prevent the property from being re-registered.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

The person in question is Oleh Nesterenko, head of the City Council's Construction and Repair Department. According to the investigation, since September 2024, he could have organized a scheme to embezzle community funds during the implementation of a project to overhaul and arrange lighting on Naberezhna Street in the village of Buzke, Voznesensk district.

Investigators believe that the official entered into a contract with a contractor, overestimating the cost of materials and work compared to the estimate. After signing the certificates of completion for December 2024 and March 2025, the documents were transferred to the Treasury, on the basis of which the contractor was paid more than UAH 424 thousand. According to the investigation, 127 thousand hryvnias of this amount were embezzled illegally.

On December 26, 2025, the official was notified of suspicion of embezzlement through abuse of office, committed repeatedly under martial law.

In January, the court imposed a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention for 60 days - until February 24, 2026 - with detention in the Mykolaiv pre-trial detention center. At the same time, the court determined the possibility of posting bail in the amount of UAH 302,800. If the bail is paid, the suspect will be subject to the procedural obligations provided for by law.

In addition, at the end of January, the court granted the investigation's motion to remove him from office. Oleh Nesterenko objected to this decision, stating that he had been cooperating with the investigation and that all documentation regarding the facility had already been seized. He also noted that he did not sign the documents himself due to the absence of his deputy, who is currently serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and that some of the functions were performed by other employees of the department without the appropriate authority.

Анна Бальчінос