While Pivnichna Saltivka is trying to survive under daily shelling, Kharkiv officials are finding ways to make money on "restoring" houses. As it turned out, the first deputy mayor Oleksandr Novak and the director of the relevant department Kostyantyn Lyska ran the scheme through the company Promteks, which received the contract even before the tender was held.
On July 16, 2025, a contract was signed with Promtex for the renovation of a house at 60 Uzhviy Street worth UAH 59.6 million. At the same time, the tender for Prozorro was announced only on July 21. This indicates that the winner was determined in advance, and the procurement procedure itself became a formality.
The contract includes a provision for "dynamic pricing" - the ability to review the cost of materials during the work. However, the lack of mechanisms for independent verification of market prices and certification of materials creates room for abuse.
Analysis of the estimate shows obvious overstatements:
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ventilation grilles — 1852 UAH per piece with an average price of 256 UAH;
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Müller Putzgrund paint — 390 UAH per kilogram compared to the market price of 78 UAH;
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decorative plaster — 147 UAH instead of 92 UAH.
Only for a few items can the overpayment exceed UAH 2 million.
The situation is complicated by the fact that the contract does not include any bank guarantees or safeguards. The contractor effectively receives complete freedom to use budget funds without risk of punishment.
