10.07.2024 Kyiv Utility scams

How Klitschko Endangered the Lives of Thousands of Kyiv Residents. Destruction of Historical Monuments and Distribution of City Lands During the War

Станція Поштова площа у Києві може обвалитися – що відомо про підземний ТЦ поруч — Ексклюзив ТСН

“Thanks to Klitschko, we entered the top ten worst capitals in the world. Kyiv is polluted, historical places are sold off. The transport is dirty, the drains are clogged, after every rain, the water is knee-deep” – this is how the residents of the capital evaluate the 10-year activity of the UDAR representative. Moreover, Klitschko neglects the lives of Kyiv residents and tourists in exchange for personal earnings. How exactly, we tell further.

Disaster on Poshtova Square

Years of inaction by officials of the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) and the subordinate KP “Directorate for the Construction of Road Transport Structures in Kyiv” led to a catastrophic situation near the strategic object – the blue line of the Kyiv metro – Poshtova Ploshcha metro station.

The threat is an underground pit 8 meters deep and about 6,000 square meters in area, located under Poshtova Square and 16 meters from the metro tunnels, connected to the station by underground passages. Since 2016, the pit has been covered with a reinforced concrete slab, held on temporary piles submerged 2-5 meters and not designed for long-term use. This covering slab is Poshtova Square – a place of constant mass gatherings of people.

For almost 6 years, the drainage of rain and groundwater in the pit has not worked, which has already led to numerous technogenic consequences and could cause emergencies with unpredictable outcomes both on the square and at the metro station.

The only solution in this situation is to close the square to visitors and simultaneously start emergency work. But where to find funding if the lion’s share of the capital’s budget goes into the pockets of those close to Klitschko, namely the “overseers” – Stolar, Komarnitsky, and Molchanova?

“Hole” in the Capital’s Metro

The underground pit appeared during the Reconstruction of the transport interchange on Poshtova Square in the Podil district of Kyiv, which was partially funded by the budget (504.7 million UAH) and partially by investors (163 million UAH) (data including works up to 2017).

According to the KCSA order from 19.01.2005 №42 (with changes and additions made by the KCSA order from 04.07.2012 №1130), it was decided to reconstruct the transport interchange on Poshtova Square in the Podil district.

The customer for the design and the contractor was defined as KP “Directorate for the Construction of Road Transport Structures in Kyiv.”

A separate order (from 18.12.2012 № 2260) provided for the construction of a multifunctional purpose object and the comprehensive improvement of the square on Poshtova Square as a separate phase of construction in the prescribed manner.

In 2013, the investment competition was won by the newly established LLC “Hensford Ukraine,” associated with the head of Yanukovych’s Presidential Administration, Andriy Kravets.

In 2014, immediately after the start of earthworks on the site, archaeological artifacts were discovered, after which a contract was signed between the customer, the investor, and the “Center for Kyiv Archaeology” of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for rescue archaeological research. Accordingly, from 2014 to 2017, the financing of works on the construction of the underground pit and archaeological research was carried out at the expense of the investor.

However, the customer for the construction of the “multifunctional purpose object,” KP “Directorate for the Construction of Road Transport Structures in Kyiv,” in violation of the requirements of current legislation, did not allocate the land plot for construction works, as a result of which, on 15.05.2015, criminal proceedings №12015100120001272 were entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations under the signs of criminal offenses, provided for by part 1 of article 364, part 1 of article 364-1, part 2 of article 298, part 1 of article 197-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

In 2023, the head of the specified KP was informed of suspicion in this case, and the damage to the state was determined to be more than 73 million UAH.

What Is Happening with the Pit Now?

Today we have the following situation: the first phase of the planned reconstruction has already been put into operation. Meanwhile, the underground pit under Poshtova Square has been an unfinished construction object since July 2017. Construction works in it have been suspended by the order of the KMDA Department of Culture.

Moreover, in December 2018, the Podilsky District Court of Kyiv imposed an arrest on construction within the framework of the above-mentioned case and established a prohibition for any persons, including KP “Directorate for the Construction of Road Transport Structures in Kyiv,” LLC “Hensford-Ukraine,” Corporation “Altis-Holding,” or persons acting on their behalf, to carry out works (including construction and finishing) on the object, which could subsequently lead to changes in the target designation of the real estate object, changes in area, configuration, external appearance of the object, and increase (decrease) its value.

This arrest was recently lifted, according to the decision of the Podilsky District Court of Kyiv from 27.12.2023 in case 758/14642/23. The effect of the KCSA Department of Culture’s order (now the KCSA Department of Cultural Heritage Protection) remains in force.

What Could Happen to Poshtova Square?

For the last 5.5 years, there has been no drainage or pumping of rain and groundwater from the underground pit on Poshtova Square.

Although KP “Directorate for the Construction of Road Transport Structures in Kyiv” was obliged to preserve the underground pit as part of the unfinished transport infrastructure in the middle of the new transport interchange, this has not been implemented.

Despite numerous appeals to Mayor Klitschko, his deputies, and heads of relevant departments and municipal enterprises, no actions have been taken to ensure the safety of people’s lives and health. The situation has been ignored for years, which once again shows the KCSA’s indifference to the lives of Kyiv residents.

What Now?

Currently, financing for emergency work is impossible. Urban planning conditions and restrictions for the construction of the “multifunctional purpose object” have been finally canceled by court order: on 27.07.2022, the Supreme Court of Ukraine issued a decision in case 826/16076/18.

It is also worth remembering that in the fall of 2018, the Kyiv City Council adopted decision №225/6276 “On the settlement of issues related to the termination or amendment of the investment agreement №050-13/i/124 from 17.04.2013 ‘On the construction of a multifunctional purpose object and the comprehensive improvement of the square on Poshtova Square as a separate phase of construction within the project ‘Reconstruction of the transport interchange on Poshtova Square in the Podil district.'” However, to date, this decision has not been implemented.

We have submitted materials to the supervisory authorities to prevent possible tragic consequences and force the local authorities to take the necessary measures. Will law enforcement and their colleagues cover Klitschko’s and his team’s interests?

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