Kherson Utility Company Awards ₴7.3M Diesel Fuel Tender to Controversial Quorum-Nafta

A Kherson utility company has selected the winner of a tender for the supply of diesel fuel. The company, which is affiliated with a member of the Mykolaiv City Council, has been involved in numerous journalistic investigations and criminal cases.

According to the Center for Public Investigations, in early April, the municipal enterprise "Production Department of Water Supply and Sewerage of Kherson" announced a tender for the supply of diesel fuel, according to the Prozorro procurement system.

The expected amount of diesel fuel procurement was over UAH 8.5 million. The tender provides for the supply of diesel fuel during the year - from May 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025.

The auction was held on April 14 and was attended by three companies. Quorum-Nafta LLC was announced the winner and is currently awaiting a decision. The company offered 7,298,100 hryvnia, which is 1.2 million less than the amount expected to be procured.

Screenshot: Prozorro

The CPR decided to find out details about the winner of the tender.

According to the YouControl online service, the company was registered in 2002 with an authorized capital of more than UAH 10 million. The main KVED is the wholesale of solid, liquid, gaseous fuels and similar products. The company owns 11 real estate objects, two vehicles and 181 licenses.

The counterparty's connections are subject to a separate investigation. By the way, the company has been featured in more than one journalistic investigation. They dealt with corruption, misappropriation of budget funds, and price fixing.

Here is a screenshot: YouControl

In 2019-2025, Quorum Oil was repeatedly the focus of journalistic investigations and was involved in 290 criminal proceedings.

During this time, the company earned UAH 1.7 billion in public procurement, mostly through contracts with utilities, schools, hospitals, and village councils. The main profile is the supply of gas, fuel, and gasoline. In 2024, the company's total revenue exceeded UAH 7 billion.

Screenshot: YouControl

The owner of Quorum Oil is Valeriy Babarika, the husband of Svitlana Babarika, a member of the Mykolaiv City Council from the European Solidarity party. The couple also owns Yuzhanochka LLC, which supplies food, and Quorum-Nafta has a network of gas stations in the Mykolaiv region.

Recently, the prosecutor's office filed a lawsuit against the company, demanding the cancellation of additional agreements with the education department of the Bashtanka City Council, which led to an increase in the price of fuel by UAH 150,000. Law enforcement officials believe that the increase was illegal.

Анна Літман