13.12.2024 Humanitarian aid Kharkiv Money laundering

Misappropriation of charitable aid in Lozova. 78 million for the shelter remained in Zelensky’s pockets

Сергій Зеленський про ситуацію у громаді 29 березня

In Lozova, Kharkiv region, they decided to equip a shelter in the local lyceum with funds that the community received from Lithuania through the presidential platform United24. The amount was 78 million hryvnias. But instead of using the charitable money effectively, the construction turned into a large-scale “cut” of the budget.

Thus, questionable expenses were recorded for a list of items, in particular:

  1. According to the estimate, the cost of gypsum putty Ceresit CT 126 was 33 UAH/kg. While the real price at the Kub construction base is 10 UAH/kg. This means it is three times cheaper.
  2. Drinking water tanks (500 liters). The purchase price is UAH 17,990 per piece. In Epicenter, the most expensive such container costs UAH 8,000, which is half the price.
  3. Reinforcing steel (10 mm). The purchase price is UAH 45,479 per ton. At IronWorld, it costs UAH 31,910 per ton, which is 30% cheaper.
  4. Inflation risks. In addition, the estimate included UAH 500 thousand “in case of price increases.”

I wonder how it happened that the charitable money provided by Lithuania to create a safe space for children is being used with obvious overpricing?

Such schemes not only undermine the credibility of international aid, but also hinder real improvements in infrastructure in times of war. Shelters that could be built faster and cheaper are becoming a symbol of corruption. Moreover, ordinary citizens, including schoolchildren, are also in danger, as they do not have a safe place to hide from Russian missile attacks.

It is not surprising that this situation has developed in Lozova. Earlier, we wrote about how the Charitable Foundation “Together for the Future”, controlled by the local authorities, namely Mayor Zelensky, has actually turned into a conversion center that ensures the illegal enrichment of officials.

At first, Trebesov, the former head of the local TCC, forced local individual entrepreneurs and businesses to transfer money to the foundation. Then, the charity bought humanitarian aid that never reached people. These were the very things that had already been donated by international and Ukrainian charitable organizations. Later, the money transferred to the accounts of individual entrepreneurs was withdrawn in cash and ended up in the pockets of the organizers of the scheme.

Based on our materials, the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office then initiated criminal proceedings No. 42024222120000037 under Part 3 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Similar situations occurred in the regional center of Kharkiv. At that time, it became known that Zhanna Ovcharova, a former adviser to the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, Oleh Syniehubov, was involved in large-scale corruption schemes related to humanitarian aid.

The NGO “Hope and Justice” associated with Ovcharova became a tool for misappropriation of humanitarian aid and illegal border crossing.

The humanitarian aid that Kharkiv residents were supposed to receive was resold through private companies.

Men of conscription age were registered as drivers of humanitarian cargo, allowing them to legally cross the border during the war.

We call on the State Audit Service, law enforcement agencies, and international donors to check the transparency of the use of funds in this project. We demand accountability and prosecution of all those involved in the corruption conspiracy.

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Let us know about it. We will help protect the violated rights!

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