In the Kherson region, a contractor is suspected of embezzling 400 thousand during museum renovations

In the Kherson region, the director of a construction company was notified that he is suspected of embezzling public funds during the renovation of a local history museum in the de-occupied territory of the Beryslav district.

This was reported by the Kherson Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the investigation, in late 2023, the museum required restoration following damage caused by Russian aggression. A private contractor was hired to carry out the repairs.

Investigators determined that the company’s director, knowing that the work had not been fully completed, submitted acceptance reports containing false information. The documents listed work and construction materials that were not actually used or completed.

The violation was confirmed by a judicial construction and technical examination, which identified a discrepancy between the actual scope of the repairs and the data entered into the official documents.

According to the investigation, as a result of these actions, the contractor illegally appropriated more than 408,000 hryvnias in budget funds allocated for the museum’s restoration.

The director of the construction company is charged with misappropriation of another’s property through abuse of official position under martial law, as well as the use of knowingly forged documents. He has been notified of the charges under Part 4 of Article 191 and Part 4 of Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Investigators from the Beryslav District Police Department are conducting the pre-trial investigation into the case.

As a reminder, a court in Kherson granted investigators temporary access to documentation regarding the construction of radiation shelters for schools. The case involves the possible embezzlement or misappropriation of budget funds.

According to the investigation, in September 2024, the contracting authority entered into Contract No. 19/10 with the company “Budpostach-STSV” for the construction of a civil defense shelter (radiation shelter) on the grounds of one of Kherson’s schools. Based on Form KB-2v certificates of completion, 32,362,961.69 UAH was transferred to the contractor. In April 2025, the contract was terminated by a supplementary agreement.

In January 2025, followinga rulingby the Central District Court of Mykolaiv, the founder of the company “Budpostach-STSV” was arrested.

Андрій Колісніченко