29.07.2024 Kharkiv Money laundering Tenders

How Kharkiv RCA purchased wire for fortifications from Russians at an inflated price

The NABU is investigating the purchase of barbed wire by the Kharkiv Oblast State Administration for UAH 82.4 million at a price twice as high as the actual price, which is being used to profit from prisoners. 

According to the investigation, on 30 December 2022, the Department of Housing and Communal Services and the Fuel and Energy Complex of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration entered into an agreement with Slobozhanska Construction Company 1 Limited Liability Company for the purchase of wire products without using the electronic procurement system for a total amount of UAH 82.4 million.

Having received the money from the Department, SBK-1 transferred UAH 71.9 million to the bank account of the intermediary, Inter-Kanat Limited Liability Company, as payment for the wire products. The intermediary, in turn, transferred a total of UAH 48.9 million to four suppliers of wire and rope products. Inter-Canal also transferred UAH 1.4 million to the account of another limited liability company for the transportation of barbed wire and ropes. The difference between the funds received by Inter-Canal Limited Liability Company from SBK1 Limited Liability Company and transferred by it to the barbed wire and rope suppliers, including transportation costs, amounted to UAH 21.6 million. At the same time, part of this difference in the amount of UAH 15.9 million was transferred by Inter-Kanat Limited Liability Company through non-commodity transactions in the form of payment for construction materials ‘to the accounts of counterparties with signs of fictitiousness’.

As it turned out, the Kharkiv RCA purchased barbed wire from SBK-1 at a cost of UAH 350 thousand per tonne excluding VAT. While the market value of such wire was a maximum of UAH 205 thousand per tonne.

Earlier, we reported that the Department of Housing and Communal Services and the Fuel and Energy Complex of the Kharkiv OVA used UAH 532.29 million as part of the regional territorial defence programme, entering into a number of economically disadvantageous and unjustified corrupt contracts for the construction of fortifications, purchase of construction materials, and restoration of damaged buildings and structures.

One of the companies that received the majority of the allocated millions was the aforementioned SBK-1.

Who is behind SBK-1?

Among the founders: Nikita Rozhkov, Viktor Limarenko, Andriy Kolos, Andriy Strohyi, and Alexander Sorochinsky, each with a 20% share in the company. However, as of today, these people are not among the company’s owners.

Mykyta Rozhkov, a deputy of the Kharkiv District Council who ran on the Opposition Platform – For Life list, is also among the co-founders of Hotel Kiroff Limited Liability Company, Miami Management Limited Liability Company, Technoengineering-Kharkiv Limited Liability Company, etc.

It is worth noting that among the founders of the aforementioned Hotel Kiroff LLC at the beginning of 2022 was Svetlana Rozhkova, who is identified by the YouControl analytical system as a Russian citizen.

In addition, there is a registered company called Promdizayn in Belgorod. Its owner’s full name is Svetlana Rozhkova. The Russian register has a phone number linked to this company: 7 472 220-03-33. Another company, Belgorodsky Promtransproekt, is linked to the same number. The company’s director is listed as Aleksandr Vyacheslavovich Rozhkov. A person with this name and Russian citizenship was among the founders of Duna LLC, owned by Viktor Limarenko and Nikita Rozhkov.

‘In recent years, Belgorodsky Promtransproekt has received Russian government contracts worth more than 100 million rubles. Gazprom is among its customers.

The other owner of SBK-1, Andriy Kolos, is a member of the executive committee of the Kharkiv City Council and previously held the position of director of a department in the regional state administration.

The following year after the company was established, its founders began to leave. The first to leave was Rozhkov, who until recently was a member of the Kharkiv District Council from the Opposition Platform – For Life party. He was followed by Strohyi, then Sorochynskyi, and then Kolos, a member of the executive committee of the Kharkiv City Council. The sole founder and owner is Viktor Limarenko.

It is interesting that SBK-1 LLC was registered on 14 November 2022, i.e. a month and a half before the multimillion-dollar tenders were awarded. This company does not have its own facilities, labour resources, or equipment necessary for the efficient and profitable fulfilment of the contract terms.

SBK 1 LLC is not a manufacturer of wire products, but an intermediary, so there is sufficient reason to believe that all the contracts are fictitious.

According to our materials:  

  • The NABU investigation authorities entered information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations under No. 52023000000000081 under Part 5 of Art. 191 of the Criminal Code,

However, as usual, apart from the formal launch of the investigation, law enforcement agencies failed to carry out real investigative actions and recreate the chains of money withdrawal. Although, in fact, we have personally uncovered a scheme with a reproduction of the procurement line with budgetary millions and the subsequent transfer of cash to shell companies from the orbit of the Kharkiv OVA. 

We even filmed a separate investigation, but who needs it if it’s easier to just turn a blind eye and continue receiving kickbacks? Why is one case of embezzlement by SBK-1 being investigated, while others are simply forgotten?

The security forces, tax authorities and, especially, officials of the Kharkiv OVA are well aware of the mechanisms of conversion centres, the companies that are part of them and the persons interested in embezzling the budget. These include the ‘watchdogs’ for Kharkiv region, Abramovich and Stolar, and their foot soldiers in the regional government, Sinehubov and his deputy, Harnam. 

In the end, the situation is as follows: officials of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, in collusion with ‘pocket firms’, came up with a scheme for illegal enrichment during the construction of fortifications and the reconstruction of the region – using the penny-ante labour of people serving sentences in prisons. 

We wonder how much money each of the corrupt officials laundered.

Earlier, we wrote about how Project Alliance LLC, with a Russian citizen as its owner, received billions for the construction of defence structures in Kharkiv region.

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