Suspected company in money laundering through Russia may receive 64 million on Kherson region roads

The winner of a UAH 64 million tender to repair a road in Kherson region is a company linked to criminal proceedings and suspicions of collusion and embezzlement of budget funds. The company has already received government contracts worth more than UAH 7 billion, much of it without competition.

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

The state enterprise "Local Roads of Kherson Region" announced an open tender with a special focus on repairing a local road on the route Zahradivka - Kochubeivka - Davydiv Brid - Kalynivske - Bobrovyi Kut. Under the terms of the tender, the works were to be completed by December 31, 2025, and the expected cost was UAH 66.3 million.

The auction was not held due to lack of competition: only one company, European Road Construction Company LLC, took part in it. It offered to perform the work for UAH 1.9 million less than the expected amount. The client is currently considering signing a contract with this participant.

Screenshot: Prozorro

The European Road Construction Company LLC was established in 2008 in Donetsk under the name Altmost, with a registered capital of UAH 51,500. According to YouControl, the company is now registered in Kyiv region, and its owner is Muslim Keloyev.

Since 2018, the company has undergone a significant transformation, and it was after that that it began to actively receive government contracts totaling more than UAH 7.4 billion, most of which were awarded without competition. In 2025, the company's earnings exceeded one billion hryvnias. The company earned more than UAH 3 billion in 2021.

Screenshot: YouControl

The company and its beneficiary have been the subject of several journalistic investigations - they are suspected of misappropriating budget funds, collusion, and overcharging. In particular, a statement by the head of the NGO Non-Stop says that the former adviser to the Prime Minister, as a member of the Coordination Council of the Big Construction, allegedly organized a criminal group together with officials of the Ministry of Infrastructure, several regional state administrations, and directors of contractors, including the European Road Construction Company LLC.

According to this version, the scheme participants misappropriated public funds through fictitious road works and moved them into the shadows, including to the territory of Russia. The scheme could also involve representatives of tax and law enforcement agencies who allegedly covered up these transactions for bribes. However, the court refused to open proceedings on this complaint.

Recently, a tender for road maintenance worth UAH 180 million was completed in Kherson region. The auction also failed, as only one bidder, European Road Construction Company LLC, which is one of the main contractors in the road sector in southern Ukraine, submitted an application.

Анна Бальчінос