Millions without bidding and a trail of criminal cases: who was awarded the road contract in Odesa region?

The tender for the construction of a road in the Fontanska community was held without any competition between the participants - none of the companies tried to lower their price offer. The winner was a company with multibillion-dollar contracts and a dubious reputation.

The details of the auction and information about the winner were provided by the Center for Public Investigations.

According to the Prozorro system, the procurement for the construction of a road on Kvitkova Street in the village of Oleksandrivka, Odesa district, funded from the budget of the Fontansky village council, was conducted formally under an open procedure, but without real competition. The expected cost of the project was UAH 9,910,752. The tender was announced on March 2, 2026, by the Capital Construction Department of the Fontanka Village Council.

SCREENSHOT: Prozorro

It is about the creation of a communal road, which should be completed by August 31, 2026. Funding is provided under the road infrastructure development program at the expense of the local budget.

Only two companies took part in the bidding - Automagistral-Pivden LLC and Roadbudpivden LLC. During the e-auction on March 17, both bidders refrained from lowering the price, leaving their offers unchanged.

SCREENSHOT: Prozorro

As a result, Automagistral-Pivden LLC offered to perform the works for UAH 9,900,000, while Roadbudpivden LLC submitted a bid of UAH 9,907,208. The difference between them was a little over UAH 7 thousand, and the budget savings amounted to about UAH 10.7 thousand, which is approximately 0.1%. Automagistral-Pivden LLC was chosen as the winner. As of the end of the tender procedure, the decision to sign the contract is pending.

The terms of the procurement included a bid security in the amount of UAH 49,500, as well as post-payment within 25 calendar days after the completion of the works.

According to the YouControl analytical system, the company was owned by Valeriy Korotkov and Oleh Nalyvanyi from Odesa until September 2022. Currently, the final beneficiaries are Oleksandr Boyko and the Austrian company EPC Holding GmbH.

The company was one of the main contractors of the state program "Big Construction". In 2021 alone, it signed contracts worth UAH 58.9 billion, and the total amount of funds received through public procurement exceeds UAH 155 billion.

SCREENSHOT: YouControl

At the same time, questions have repeatedly arisen around the company regarding actual control. According to media reports, the likely unofficial beneficiary of the company may be businessman Oleksandr Zhukov, the former father-in-law of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

Journalists also noted that Zhukov had significant influence on political and business processes in Odesa, in particular through former mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov, and was also associated with the activities of another large road company, Rostdorstroy. At the same time, representatives of Avtomagistral-Pivden denied any external control by the former mayor's entourage or others.

The company is also mentioned in a number of criminal proceedings. In particular, in January 2024, the Malynovskyi District Prosecutor's Office filed a lawsuit over a UAH 1.609 billion tender for the reconstruction of the Ivanivskyi overpass in Odesa, which was won by this company. The prosecutor's office demanded that the results of the procurement and the contract be declared invalid.

In October 2024, law enforcement officers conducted searches at the offices of Avtomagistral-Pivden LLC, as well as in the homes of employees and vehicles.

In June 2025, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko stated that the suspicions in the case against the company were reasonable and supported by the results of forensic examinations. He also instructed to check all criminal proceedings related to companies operating in the field of infrastructure construction.

At the same time, the company itself stated that it may be under pressure from law enforcement agencies and called such actions attempts at raider influence. Avtomagistral-Pivden LLC also noted that a targeted information campaign is being conducted around the Ingulets-Pivdenne Reservoir water pipeline project, which, in their opinion, may be backed by one of their competitors with the support of law enforcement officials associated with it.

Nevertheless, in February, the State Agency for the Restoration and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine signed an agreement with Avtomagistral-Pivden to overhaul the section of the highway from Lviv to Rava-Ruska for more than 459 million.

Анна Бальчінос