The restoration of Chernihiv region after de-occupation turned into a source of enrichment for the regional authorities. Under the slogan of reconstruction, under martial law, officials created a closed system of tenders, where only “their” companies became winners. The head of the OVA, Vyacheslav Chaus, his deputy, Dmytro Synenko, and the head of the construction department, Volodymyr Kryvenko, were directly responsible for this.
The audit showed that the cost of materials in the estimates was overstated several times. For example, lumber was purchased for 15 thousand hryvnias per cubic meter, while the market price was 5.3 thousand. Film was three times more expensive than in the open sale. The situation was even more blatant during the construction of fortifications: they did not even prepare estimate documentation. In fact, tens of millions of hryvnias were written off without confirming the volume of work.
Instead of launching an investigation, OVA officials resorted to pressure on those who were revealing the truth. Volunteer Oleg Seryk, who collected and published documents about inflated prices, was detained, beaten, and mobilized, using falsified medical reports. Seryk himself also released an audio recording of threats from a criminal authority who, according to him, was “covering” the interests of the regional administration.
The situation in Chernihiv Oblast shows how the reconstruction of the region is being used to enrich local elites. Instead of transparent procurement and efficient use of resources, we have inflated estimates, fictitious work, and attempts to intimidate whistleblowers.
