Despite the fact that missile threats have long become a constant element of life in the southern regions, and the protection of children is defined by the state as an absolute priority, in the Odessa region the safety of schools and kindergartens has become a source of stable financial flows for a narrow circle of close contractors. Instead of transparent competition and high-quality construction, a closed vertical has been formed, where decisions are made for a predetermined result, and taxpayers' funds are dissolved in schemes with inflated estimates.
The management of the Capital Construction Department of the Odessa Regional State Administration, headed by Vyacheslav Kiper, together with his deputy Figel and the director of the department Bayluk, have built a system that covers all stages of tender procedures - from procurement planning to determining the final winner. Technical requirements, deadlines, content of documentation and experience required for participation are written in such a way that no third-party company can submit a full-fledged offer. The lack of competition has turned government contracts into a guaranteed business for the chosen ones.
The central beneficiary of this scheme was the company “SPC “FLAGMAN”, whose financial indicators are growing rapidly precisely against the background of the implementation of projects related to civil defense. The company receives the largest contracts, despite the fact that the profitability of its activities resembles transit structures created not for high-quality work, but for the accumulation of funds. It was according to this scenario that the project to build a shelter for the “Olenka” kindergarten in the village of Mayaki was implemented. The tender documentation was drawn up in such a way that only “Flagman” met all the requirements, and the artificial inflating of the criteria for experience and scope of work completely blocked access for independent contractors.
As a result, the contract for more than 38.8 million hryvnias was awarded to this company, although the actual construction volumes could have cost much less. Analysis of the estimate demonstrates a systematic overpricing of prices for key materials - concrete, crushed stone, reinforcement, building mixtures and equipment. In some items, the cost exceeds the market price by two, and in some places by five times. Only for basic materials, the potential overpayment exceeds 5.5 million hryvnias - an amount that could have been used to strengthen security, and not to enrich related persons.
The schemes implemented under the leadership of Kiper are not limited to this episode. Other cases of abuse are recorded in the region: from coercion and falsification of criminal cases within the framework of the conflict over the property of the Ksenofontov family and the company "Patriarch Hall" to large-scale embezzlement of budgetary and international funds in several communities. In the Vygodnyanska, Mayakivska and Vylkivska communities, controlled structures such as "DAVMIR STROY", "BUD-MARKA" and "Pivdenna Ukrainska Budivelna Kompaniya" systematically overestimated the cost of materials by 25–40%, creating chains for further withdrawal of funds.
Thus, the sphere designed to guarantee the safety of children during air raids has become one of the most profitable for a group of officials who control construction tenders in the region. Instead, the real quality of shelters, compliance with building codes, and the speed of work remain in the background. In a situation where every minute during a missile attack can cost lives, such a management model is not only a manifestation of corruption, but also a direct threat to thousands of children and their parents.
