27.07.2024 Ecology Kharkiv

How the subsoil and natural resources of Kharkiv region came under the control of pro-Russian forces

While the Kharkiv authorities have found a scapegoat in the person of Sinegubov’s deputy and Igor Abramovich’s protege, Mikhail Kharnam, who will be blamed for billions of dollars of embezzlement at the fortifications in the future, his colleagues continue to loot the rest. 

For example, Andrii Nereta, head of the Department of Environmental Protection and Nature Management of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, has been overseeing schemes related to the acquisition and disposal of mineral resources and the gradual destruction of the region’s ecology for more than two years. Let’s take a look at the most lucrative frauds that were carried out under Nereta’s supervision or direct involvement. 

Subsoil extraction

Recently, with the assistance of the Kharkiv District Prosecutor’s Office of Kharkiv Region, the special permit granted by the State Service of Geology and Subsoil of Ukraine for the use of subsoil at the Vilkhivske field located in Kharkiv district was cancelled.

According to the law enforcement materials, the corporation did not fulfil the purpose of the special permit and did not obtain an environmental impact assessment. In addition, the company failed to prepare the field for development, which was supposed to be carried out from the first quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021. 

Of course, such initiative by the security forces is encouraging, but why is this principled position not also evident in other cases? For example, with regard to the activities of Kharkivnerudprom, a limited liability company that has been mining sand for a long time, illegally occupying land near the Sorokivske field and completely ignoring environmental legislation, as noted by the State Environmental Inspectorate. 

Kharkivnerudprom is controlled by Pavlo Yakymenko, a member of the Servant of the People party. The company extracts sand in unacceptable amounts, outside the quarry. In addition, they use public roads to transport sand, which is prohibited, as it leads to increased dust, noise and vibration. 

Yet the regulatory authorities are apparently indifferent to systematic violations, as are law enforcement officers. For example, the decision of the investigating judge of the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv of 15 February 2024 (case No. 761/4910/24) obliged the authorised persons of the State Bureau of Investigation to enter information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations. However, active sand mining by Kharkivnerudprom under the lobbying of Yakymenko and Nereta continues.

So why don’t Kharkiv prosecutors demonstrate integrity in this situation?

A similar case involves the control of mineral extraction by Novoselivka Mining and Processing Plant, a private joint-stock company operating in the village of Novoselivka, Kharkiv region. The company is controlled by the Katsub family of pro-Russian oligarchs, who created the propagandist Shariy with their own hands and have been doing business with traitors for a long time. By the way, there is reason to believe that the Katsubs are still cooperating with the occupiers, delivering raw materials extracted in the Kharkiv region through third countries to Russia.

And again, complete inaction by law enforcement and even judges. As a result, in a ruling dated 21 June 2024 (case No. 646/6889/24), investigating judge A. Shikhovtsova protected the interests of the Katsub family, who now fully control the quartz quarry in Kharkiv region.

Deforestation of hectares of forest near Kharkiv

Recently, detectives of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine established that the former head of the Housing and Maintenance Department of one of the regions created a criminal organisation of current officials and individual entrepreneurs to misappropriate public funds. 

The defendants purchased firewood for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kharkiv and Luhansk regions under preliminary agreements without public procurement, but under direct contracts at significantly inflated prices. 

In total, UAH 350 million of public funds were allocated for these purposes, of which almost UAH 90 million were misappropriated.

Interestingly, a little over a year ago, we covered similar abuses in the procurement of wood under the state programme to provide free firewood to the population. At that time, millions of dollars in misappropriations and contracts with local government-controlled firms were found, which led to budget embezzlement and the actual purchase of wood worth several times more than the market price. Such manipulations were detected in Lozova, Merefa, and Dergachi. 

Obviously, both local authorities and officials of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, such as the head of the Regional State Administration Oleg Synegubov, his deputy Harnam, who oversaw the state programme, and the head of the relevant department Nereta, were involved in the implementation of the schemes.

Based on our materials, the Bureau of Economic Security initiated criminal proceedings 72023000110000022 under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. But, as we can see, the investigation is still ongoing, as no one involved has been brought to justice yet.

We hope that each of the defendants, as well as the Housing and Maintenance Department, will be caught by law enforcement and eventually sanctioned.

We are working and initiating further investigations. 

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