02.08.2024
Corruption
Fortification
Kharkiv
Money laundering
Tenders
Utility scams
How did a multibillion-dollar budget for fortifications cause an intra-regional war?
One of the leading channels published an investigative video in which they revealed the name of the person responsible for the failure of the defense of Kharkiv region and the disappearance of billions of budget for fortifications. However, it seems that the story was the first step in a media war between Kharkiv Mayor Terekhov and Kharkiv Military District Chief Sinehubov. Why is this so? Read on.
The Reserve Fund of the state budget, from which the government allocates funds for the urgent needs of reconstruction and fortification, has only UAH 592 million left out of the UAH 56 billion allocated for 2024.
As part of the half-trillion hryvnia increase in budget expenditures, of which UAH 495 billion will be allocated to the army, the government also proposes to allocate UAH 4.5 billion to replenish the State Budget Reserve Fund. This fund will finance urgent expenditures for reconstruction and restoration, as well as defense needs and the construction of fortifications.
“When adopting the budget, about UAH 42 billion was allocated to the Reserve Fund. This year, the Cabinet of Ministers increased its size to UAH 56 billion. However, only 592 million of this amount is currently left,” said the head of the Verkhovna Rada Budget Committee.
So, indeed, where have the billions of the budget disappeared, given that the enemy is advancing as fast as ever through the frontline regions, and the military reports the absence of the promised “dragon’s teeth” and dugouts that the government told us about.
So who is involved in the thefts? Today we will analyze the situation in Kharkiv region.
It is worth noting that in the Kharkiv region, money for the construction of fortifications was funneled not only to gasket companies and know-nothings, but also into the pockets of well-known individuals. Moreover, in their case, the bill is already in the hundreds of millions and even billions of hryvnias.
Rudenko Andriy Ivanovych – former vice mayor, who became the top embezzler
By the order of Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov of 29.02.2024, Andriy Rudenko was dismissed from the position of Deputy for the City Life Support. No one officially announced the reasons for the dismissal. However, even then we assumed the real motives for such radical actions of the mayor.
One of them could have been the searches conducted by the Bureau of Economic Security in Rudenko’s apartment. At that time, it became known that Rudenko’s wife’s company had been supplying barbed wire for fortifications in the region and the city. As a result, the theft of more than UAH 51 million was discovered.
The journalists link these investigative actions to Slobozhanska Construction Company-1. To recap: The Kharkiv OVA purchased barbed wire worth UAH 350,000 per ton, excluding VAT, from SBC-1. At the same time, the market value of such wire was a maximum of UAH 205 thousand per ton.
Thus, “SBK-1” received UAH 82.4 million from the Department of Housing, Communal Services and Fuel and Energy Complex of the KHOVA.
But not only SBK-1. Rudenko’s story extends to a number of other companies. For example, another one, Project Alliance LLC, is registered at the same address as SBK-1: 324 Tobolskaya Street, Kharkiv, building 42, office 324.
Project Alliance also received a large number of tenders from the Kharkiv Regional Military Authority, including for construction for the needs of terrorist defense and fortification, the amount of budget funds received for which amounted to almost a billion hryvnias – 933 million. Law enforcement officers uncovered a corruption scheme involving the company – the company’s price gouging amounted to approximately UAH 27 million.
Among the list of Project Alliance founders, one can trace not only a Russian trace, but also a connection to former Deputy Mayor Rudenko. Another link in the chain of cooperation is Victoria Pysmak. Journalists linked her companies Auto Ovi LLC, ATP 16329, TD Logistic LLC, AIR LLC, Tech Inkom LLC, and Pysmak Viktoriia Oleksiivna, a private entrepreneur, to Rudenko’s entourage. Oddly enough, most of these companies have repeatedly received millions from the budget.
The connection between Pysmak and Rudenko is also confirmed by the fact that Andrii Rudenko used to be the founder of AIR LLC, which is now run by Viktoriia Pysmak. “AIR is the initials of Andriy Rudenko. The company is named after him – Andriy IR. Hence the conclusion that Pysmak is a person from the vice mayor’s entourage.
In addition, until the beginning of 2024, Victoria Pysmak was the owner of Tech-Incom LLC (now her share has been rewritten to Dmytro Bykov). This company signed 29 contracts worth UAH 545.7 million with the Kharkiv authorities.
Interestingly, Pysmak, Rudenko’s manager, was replaced in Tech-Incom LLC when, according to dumka.media, it became known that law enforcement officers were conducting a search at Rudenko’s apartment. The materials are from the same case involving his wife, who allegedly supplied barbed wire for fortifications in the region.
It is clear that obtaining the order for the supply of materials for the construction of fortifications was not without the direct involvement of the leadership of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, represented by Oleh Synegubov. Therefore, such actions, of course, were planned and discussed in advance on the sidelines. Only Terekhov did not like the creation of the Synegubov-Rudenko coalition. Therefore, the dismissal of the latter was obvious. Why would the mayor want to spoil his own reputation once again?
Again, it is strange that, first, law enforcement officers are silent about the violations and money laundering, and second, Sinehubov’s name is once again absent, and he has not been served with a suspicion, although his participation in the transfer of millions of dollars in tenders for the supply of materials for the construction of fortifications is 100%, because it is the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration that is responsible for strengthening the region.
A high-profile video investigation by journalists of a TV channel looks like another jean published at the request of Igor Terekhov. However, why not mention the mayor’s own cooperation with Rudenko, which lasted for quite some time? Or maybe the mayor has already forgotten about it?
Schemes at drainage stations: Rudenko’s cooperation with Terekhov
Thus, the leadership of the Kharkiv City Council and responsible persons have long created conditions for the monopoly conclusion of a contract for the maintenance/use of drainage stations owned by the utility company in the interests of partnership with interconnected division «TKVV LLC» and partnership with interconnected division «SPETSPROMBUD 2016 LLC». The official tariff of partnership with interconnected division «TKVV LLC», partnership with interconnected division «SPETSPROMBUD 2016 LLC».
At the same time, KhTKVV Limited Liability Company and SPETSPROMBUD 2016 Limited Liability Company were actually “gaskets” between liquid waste producers and sewage treatment plants. Therefore, these functions should be performed by Kharkivvodokanal, for which the community should receive funds, not private corrupt structures. At the same time, Kharkivvodokanal and the local budget did not receive the funds that should have been paid in the case of direct service by Kharkivvodokanal, and lost funds to eliminate negative environmental consequences.
At the same time, in addition to the official tariff, representatives of KhTKVV LLC and SPETSPROMBUD 2016 LLC systematically received cash for discharging liquid industrial waste to liquid waste discharge points and drainage stations owned by the Kharkiv territorial community, designed for household waste (from washing, laundry, etc.) and sewage (excluding industrial waste).
At that time, Rudenko built a corruption scheme to extort systematic (monthly) extortions – bribes for
- discharging industrial waste to sewage treatment plants that can only accept household waste
- discharge of waste beyond the limits specified in the contracts;
- discharging waste without any formal contracts at all.
Monthly bribes ranged from UAH 10 thousand (from car washes) to UAH 1.5 million (meat and dairy plants). The monthly black cash amounted to at least UAH 10 million. Thus, since 2020, the amount of unlawful benefit has amounted to about UAH 300 million.
According to the data provided in the letter No. 16-2023/ZPI/GO16/1-23 of 01.03.2023, “The business entities that operate drainage stations in the places agreed by the Kharkivvodokanal are Kharkiv Territorial Waste Removal Company LLC (EDRPOU 40330104) and SPETSPROMBUD 2016 LLC. 3 these companies, entities engaged in liquid waste removal conclude contracts for liquid waste discharge. It should be noted that the treatment facilities are municipal property of Kharkiv and are not maintained/used by the above-mentioned enterprises.
In this regard, and given that the sewage treatment plants are not on the balance sheet of Kharkivvodokanal and are not maintained by it, the company and the above-mentioned business entities have concluded agreements on the discharge (acceptance) of liquid waste. Kostin A.V. and Kommunalnyk Kharkiv LLC applied to Kharkivvodokanal with proposals to conclude similar agreements, but after considering these proposals, the above-mentioned business entities were denied the opportunity to conclude agreements on the grounds that they did not provide the necessary documents.
The tariff at which the company provides liquid waste collection services from Kharkiv Territorial Waste Removal Company and SPETSPROMBUD 2016 LLC under the concluded contracts is UAH 8,484 (including VAT) – for consumers who are not business entities in the field of centralized water supply and sewerage.”
So, once again, we have corruption schemes involving Rudenko and, this time, the mayor of Terekhiv. So why are neither Terekhov nor Synegubov involved in the law enforcement investigations?
Law enforcement response
Last year, we submitted relevant materials to law enforcement agencies regarding manipulations with liquid waste and drainage stations. Upon their consideration by the Prosecutor General’s Office, the information was registered in the URPTI 42024000000000009 under Article 364, Part 2 of the Criminal Code, and by the Police Department No. 1 of the Kharkiv Regional Police Department – 12023221210001319 under Article 365, Part 1 of the Criminal Code. But for some reason, the investigative actions ended without starting.
The same can be said about the activities of SBC-1, Project Alliance, and Tech-Ink, which are linked to Rudenko through Pysmak. The NABU investigative authorities entered information into the URPTI under No. 52023000000000081 under Part 5 of Art. 191 of the Criminal Code, and the State Bureau of Investigation in Poltava conducted a pre-trial investigation within the framework of criminal proceedings No. 620231700200000666 of 11.04.2023.
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