Odesa sanatorium turned into a residential complex

An elite residential complex is being built on the site of the Odesa sanatorium "Ukraine" instead of a recreational facility. The court rejected the claim of a local resident, and the investigation points to millions of dollars in losses for the community.

This was reported by Nikcenter, which investigated how residents and tourists are being deprived of access to the coast and what connections developers have with the authorities.

The closer the land is to the sea, the more expensive it is for developers. Previously, coastal plots were allocated for sanatoriums and recreational facilities, but now premium residential complexes are being built there.

In early 2025, a court in Odesa dismissed a lawsuit filed by local resident Yuliana Drohomyretska against the development of a plot at 54 Frantsuzsky Boulevard, where the Ukraine sanatorium used to be. She demanded to cancel the changes to the building permit, since instead of a recreational facility, a premium residential complex with 23 floors and apartments starting at UAH 3.8 million is being built.

The sanatorium went bankrupt in 2014, and its property was bought in 2016 by DM Consulting LLC, which registered the land for construction. The court did not consider the legality of construction on recreational land, and dismissed the claim due to the absence of violated rights of the plaintiff.

Only six months after buying the property, DM Consulting applied to the Odesa City Council to gain access not only to the buildings but also to valuable recreational land of about 3.2 hectares at 54 Frantsuzsky Boulevard. The decision was approved by the deputies at the 2016 session, and the land commission was headed by Oleh Bryndak, a deputy from Doviruy Dilam.

As noted in the media, in 2016-2019, the community lost at least six land plots with a total area of 15.9 hectares and 131 million hryvnias due to these schemes; the total damage, according to the expert, amounted to 689 million hryvnias.

The company received a number of permits for land management projects and leased 16 plots of the former sanatorium covering more than 6.6 hectares for a period of 20 years, paying the city about UAH 1.7 million a year, while the real value of the land is many times higher. The lease was formalized by notary Natalia Chuzhovska, wife of MP Serhiy Strashnyi.

Recently, the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office responded to statements made by the owner of the Dacha restaurant, Sava Libkin, about the alleged raider seizure of the restaurant. The office emphasized that their actions are aimed only at protecting the interests of the state and are not intended to put pressure on business, noting that the restaurant is located on the territory of the State Sanatorium named after V.P. Chkalov, whose park is a monument of landscape art.

Анна Бальчінос