Odesa City Council tried to lease the territory of an archaeological site

Law enforcement officers have now launched a criminal investigation into the abuse of power and official position by Odesa City Council officials over the decision to transfer 1 hectare of land at 4B Krasova Street to Ekatel Auto LLC.

According to the case file, law enforcement officers believe that the Odesa City Council, when it granted the LLC permission to develop a land management project for land allocation in 2023 and approved the relevant land management project on July 2, 2025, did not have the right to do so.

The law enforcement officers explain their position by the fact that the territory in question is an archaeological heritage site of the Kurgan Group archaeological monument - the Bronze Age Kurgan burial ground in Artillery Park, 2,000 BC.

"The Bronze Age burial mound in the Artillery Park was first noted on the engraved "Plan of the City of Odesa" of 1854 and consisted of six mounds located in a chain on the territory of the future Second Jewish Cemetery and the Artillery Park created in its place. At present, there are two mounds located west of Krasnov Street, partially covering the roadway of Krasnov Street, the territory of the Central power distribution company at 2/1 Krasnov Street, and the territory of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine in Odesa Oblast, located at 7 Lustdorfska Road," the prosecutors noted.

Thus, since by law all archaeological sites, including those underwater, including movable objects associated with them, are state property, the Odesa Regional State (Military) Administration has the right to dispose of the land, and the Odesa City Council, although it has the right to dispose of the city's land, does not apply to archaeological sites.

Therefore, law enforcement officers believe that officials of the Odesa City Council, abusing their official position in order to obtain illegal benefits for other legal entities, contrary to the interests of the service, which consist in observing the legal regime of land use and ensuring the ownership of the Ukrainian people to the land and the archaeological site located on it, illegally transferred the state-owned land plot to third parties, which caused serious consequences for the rights and interests of the state protected by law.

Кирило Бойко