A new urban planning scandal has erupted in Kyiv. Residents of Bereznyaki are protesting against the construction of a 26-story building at 3 Ivan Mykolaychuk Street, which is being built by a company affiliated with developer Vladyslav Molchanova. People claim that the skyscraper is actually being built on the territory of Pavlo Tychyna Square, the former Lenin Square, which never received official green zone status.
Activists of the NGO “Let’s Protect Pavlo Tychyna Square” accuse the developer of manipulation. The building is formally classified as a “multifunctional complex,” which allows for circumventing legislative restrictions on residential construction. However, all project materials indicate that the future high-rise is planned to sell apartments and condos.
Local residents say that the construction of a new house in this part of Bereznyaki poses a real danger to surrounding houses. According to engineering and geological data, the soils in the area are floodplain, weak, require pile foundations, and neighboring buildings already have cracks and subsidence. “This is a potential mass grave for residents,” say the activists, referring to the conclusions of experts about the risk of structural collapse if the work continues.
In addition, the developer has effectively deprived the community of access to the surrounding areas and Tychyna Square: the site is surrounded by a fence, construction equipment moves along the sidewalks, creating a danger to people. Public activists have reported threats from the security of the facility and cynical "advice" from the developer's lawyers - "sell the apartments" or "negotiate."
On October 21, 2025, residents of Bereznyaki met with representatives of the State Inspectorate for Architecture and Urban Planning (DIAM), demanding an unscheduled inspection of the facility. At the same time, the NGO "For the Preservation of Pavlo Tychyna Square" filed two lawsuits in court: to the Department of Urban Planning of the Kyiv City State Administration - regarding the cancellation of urban planning conditions and restrictions, and to DIAM - regarding the cancellation of the construction permit.
The community claims that the court is considering the case formally, and they are preparing an appeal to the NABU due to signs of corruption. In parallel, the National Police opened criminal proceedings No. 12025100040002871 under articles on illegal construction, violation of environmental safety rules, and unauthorized occupation of a land plot.
Pavlo Tychyna Square officially appeared in December 2022, when the Kyiv City Council renamed the former Lenin Square. However, the site was never designated as a green zone — it is not on the balance sheet of Kyivzelenbud and legally remains in private ownership.
Activists say that in 2004 the land under the square was leased to the British company Savona for a “public office block,” and in 2006 it was sold to them for UAH 3.5 million. After a series of legal disputes, the plot was purchased by the company Budevroservice, whose beneficiary is Ivan Molchanov, the son of Vladislava Molchanova, owner of the Stolitsa Group development group.
It was Budevroservice that received urban planning conditions from the Kyiv City State Administration in 2020, and in 2021, a permit from DIAM for construction work, and is now trying to build a 26-story skyscraper with 252 apartments and flats.
Companies associated with Vladyslav Molchanova have repeatedly appeared in high-profile stories - from "Patriotika na ozerakh" to projects in Vynohradar. In September 2025, NABU notified Molchanova of suspicion in the case of illegal alienation of land at the "Stolichny" market.
Experts believe that the current situation in Bereznyaki is a continuation of the same model, when land plots under green zones or industrial facilities are converted into residential areas by changing the classification and changing the functional purpose.
While the community prepares new lawsuits and DIAM plans an inspection, the developer continues work. Piles of a future 26-story “multifunctional complex” are growing on the site of the former square — a symbol of the community’s powerlessness in the face of yet another Kyiv skyscraper.
