Mykolaiv fuel tender awarded to firm linked to local councilwoman's husband

A contract for the supply of fuel to a municipal enterprise in Mykolaiv was won by the company of the husband of a local councilwoman. The company's total revenue from tenders reaches almost two billion hryvnias.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations with reference to the Prozorro procurement system.

In Mykolaiv, a tender for the purchase of fuel for the Mykolaivvodokanal utility company was held, for which almost UAH 15 million was allocated. It is planned to supply 225 thousand liters of Euro-5 diesel fuel and 75 thousand liters of Euro-5 A-92 gasoline.

Only one bidder responded to the tender, Quorum Oil LLC, which was awarded the contract.

According to the YouControl online analytical system, the company was registered in 2004 with an authorized capital of more than UAH 10 million. During 2019-2025, the company was negatively mentioned in five journalistic investigations and was mentioned in 290 criminal cases.

Screenshot: Prozorro

The company has already earned UAH 1.7 billion in public procurement. Most of them came from utility companies, educational institutions, hospitals, and village councils. In general, the purchases concerned the supply of gas, fuel, and gasoline. The company's total revenue in 2023 was over UAH 5 billion.

As it turned out, this company is owned by Valeriy Babarika, the husband of Svitlana Babarika, a member of the Mykolaiv City Council from the European Solidarity party. Together, they also own Yuzhanochk LLC, which supplies products in Mykolaiv, and Quorum-Nafta has a network of gas stations in the Mykolaiv region.

The company also practiced price increases after the conclusion of the contract through additional agreements and was suspected of collusion and embezzlement of budget funds.

Screenshot: YouControl

Recently, the prosecutor's office filed a lawsuit against the company to cancel additional agreements with the Education Department of the Bashtanka City Council, which increased the cost of fuel for educational institutions by UAH 150 thousand. The prosecutor's office considers this increase to be unlawful and demands that the agreements be terminated.

Recently, the State Audit Service of Ukraine began monitoring a procurement procedure conducted by the Mykolaiv Oblast Recovery and Development Service. The review concerns a tender for security services worth more than half a million hryvnias.

Meanwhile, local businesses are actively making money on road repairs and tile laying, where tenders and contracts are often linked to political interests. The next contract for paving is expected to be awarded to a company owned by a local deputy who has repeatedly appeared in journalistic investigations.

Анна Бальчінос