Nov. 21, 2024, 5:29 p.m.
(Photo: OK Sever)
The Department of Civil Protection and Defense of the Kherson Regional State Administration has signed six contracts for the installation of non-explosive barrier systems in the region for UAH 163.4 million. The contracts were awarded to firms with controversial pasts.
According to the Center for Public Investigations, the department bypassed the Prozorro electronic system and classified even Zelenskyy's Decree "On the Introduction of Martial Law in Ukraine."
Mykolaivbudmekhanizatsiya Additional Liability Company (ALC MBM) will earn the most from the construction of barriers - UAH 103 million, as they signed two agreements. One for UAH 25.5 million and another for UAH 77.9 million. The ALC should complete the work between January 1, 2025 and December 25, 2025.
According to the Youcontrol analytical system, MBM ALC has been on the market since 1993, and is owned by Anna, Vitaliy and Oleksandr Zubko. The company is mainly engaged in construction work. During this time, they have signed contracts worth UAH 242.8 million.
Paritetbudinvest Construction Firm LLC and Global Build Engineering LLC will receive 22.4 million each from the Department of Civil Protection and Defense of Kherson Regional State Administration. The companies received one contract each for the construction of barriers.
Paritetbudinvest Construction Firm LLC was registered in 2019 in Chornomorsk, Odesa region. The founders are Artem Sobolev and Arkadiy Ilyashchuk. According to media reports , Ilyashchuk was an assistant consultant to Odesa City Council deputy Valentyn Gapunich. In the previous convocation, in 2015-2020, Gapunich was elected to the council from Hennadiy Trukhanov's Doviruy Dilam party. In 2010, he was elected from the Party of Regions. Since its inception, the company has received contracts worth over UAH 4 billion.
Non-explosive barriers are used to restrict access to the territory for vehicles and infantry without damaging them. Such obstacles can be used independently or in combination with each other, as well as with minefields.
Global Build Engineering LLC was founded in 2017 by Serhiy Tolstikov from Donetsk Oblast. The company is currently registered in Ternopil region. At one time, Bihus.info found a connection between Global Build Engineering and Anton Samoilenko, deputy head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration. Since the end of last year, the company has been operating in the Kherson region. It turned out that the company was bought out by a group of businessmen who were engaged in road repairs in eastern Ukraine. Anton Samoilenko is in charge of reconstruction in the Kherson region. It was after Samoilenko was appointed to the position that the company, which had no relevant experience, suddenly began to receive millions of dollars in contracts, the article says. During its operations, the company signed contracts worth 1.8 billion hryvnias.
Rostdorstroy LLC was awarded another contract for the installation of protection. The HOVA department signed an agreement with them for UAH 8.9 million. The company also has to complete the work by 2025.
"Rostdorstroy was registered in 2005. The company's ultimate beneficiaries are currently Odesa City Council member Yuriy Shumacher, who represents the Trust the Deeds party, and businessman Yevhen Konovalov. <span>In January, the Commercial Court of Odesa Oblast </span>considered<span> a lawsuit filed by the deputy head of the Odesa Oblast Prosecutor's Office against the Odesa Oblast Infrastructure Restoration and Development Service and Rostdorstroy Limited Liability Company. </span>As stated in the court ruling, the prosecutor demanded to cancel the results of the tender to select a contractor to be paid for the overhaul of the public road Izmail-Kilia-Vilkove, which the Service held in May 2021. According to the agreement, Rostdorstroy LLC had to complete the repairs by December 31, 2022, but due to the full-scale invasion, the completion date was postponed by additional agreements. And according to the prosecutor's office, the work never started. The company was supposed to receive UAH 500 million 84 thousand for the work. In total, since 2016, Rostdorstroy has received tenders totaling 96.7 billion hryvnias.
Ukrbud-proekt-reconstruction LLC received a contract worth UAH 6.1 million. The company has been on the market since 2015. The owner is David Kizimenko from Donetsk. The company is now registered in Kyiv. According to Bihus.info, David Kizimenko is the son of Oleh Kizimenko, a separatist official who remained there as deputy mayor of Sevastopol after the occupation of Crimea. Also, the company's management was suspected of overstating the cost of construction materials by 2-3 times when performing work in Sumy region.
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