Investigators allowed to inspect runways of Odesa airport

A court has allowed investigators to inspect the runways of Odesa municipal airport as part of an investigation into alleged embezzlement of budget funds.

According to the Center for Public Investigations, the case concerns possible violations during the repair work at the airport in 2019.

In particular, it was established that on July 22, 2019, ME "MAO" and LLC "Stroyspetstechnika" entered into an agreement for the provision of services for the maintenance of artificial asphalt concrete pavement of certain elements of the Odesa airfield for a total amount of UAH 40.3 million.<span>Law enforcement officers found that the work may not have been completed in full in 2019. Moreover, according to the official plan of the airfield, which is kept in the airfield file of the State Aviation Service, some of the parking lots specified in the agreement are not available at all.</span>

An analysis of tax invoices shows that in 2019, MAO transferred about UAH 30 million to Stroyspetstechnika LLC for the performance of these works. In addition, the investigation found that MAO entered into four contracts with Ukrbud Trust LLC for a total of UAH 9.6 million for the routine repair of expansion joints, cracks and potholes in the airfield's artificial pavement.

According to the technical specifications, the works were to be performed on the taxiway route, the main taxiway and a number of parking lots. According to available information, these works could also have been performed incompletely, with partial involvement of employees and technical resources of the utility company itself.

As part of the investigation, a forensic construction and technical examination was ordered on December 19, 2025. In January 2026, the forensic expert of the Odesa Scientific Research Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine filed a request for access to the object of investigation.

In order to record the actual condition of the facilities and establish the circumstances of a possible offense, the investigator asked the court to grant permission to inspect the runways on the territory of the Odesa International Airport. As a result, the judge granted the request.

Last year, businessmen Borys Kaufman and Alex Borukhovych pleaded guilty to seizing the airport and its revenues.

Кирило Бойко