In the Odesa region, a company with political connections sought 74 million

In the Odesa region, the winner of a tender for routine road repairs worth over 74 million is being selected. The lowest bid was submitted by a company that has previously been the subject of journalistic investigations and criminal proceedings.

The Center for Public Investigations has uncovered details of the tender and the history of the potential contractor.

The Infrastructure Restoration and Development Service in Odesa Oblast announced a tender for the routine maintenance of a section of the H-33 Odesa–Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi–Monashi–/M-15/ highway from km 79+827 to km 99+301.

Two companies participated in the bidding: Paritetbudinvest Construction Firm LLC and Avtomagistral-Pivden LLC. The first offered 73.69 million hryvnias, while the second offered nearly 73.75 million. The latter company offered the lowest price, but the winner has not yet been determined.

During the document review, the contracting authority discovered a discrepancy in the company’s certificate of relevant experience. The certificate cited Work Completion Certificate No. 1 dated August 1, 2021; however, the supporting document submitted had the same number and date but was issued in 2022. The companies were given until August 28 to correct the error.

According to YouControl, “Paritetbudinvest Construction Firm” LLC was registered in 2019 in Chornomorsk with an authorized capital of 100,000 hryvnias. The current owners are Artem Sobolev and Arkadiy Ilyashchuk. 

The company has already been the subject of journalistic investigations. In particular, media reports have highlighted the ties between co-owner Ilyashchuk and former Odessa City Council member Valentin Gapunich, who was previously one of the company’s founders.

During its time in operation, the company has earned over 4.5 billion hryvnias from government procurement contracts. The largest number of contracts was awarded in 2025—their total value exceeded 1.7 billion hryvnias.

The company is also mentioned in case files regarding the possible embezzlement of budget funds. The case involved the maintenance and repair of roads in the Kirovohrad and Donetsk regions.

In June, the company also won a tender for the repair of the T-16-25 highway (“Kuchurgan Checkpoint – Bilyayivka – Mayaky – Ovidiopol”) for over 110 million. The company’s bid was 865,000 hryvnias lower than the expected procurement amount. 

Анна Літман