The Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office informed the former head of Kyiv Metropoliten of suspicion of official negligence, which led to the large-scale flooding of the tunnels between the Demiivska and Lybidska stations on the Obolonsko-Teremkivska metro line. The investigation established that his improper performance of duties caused devastating consequences for the capital metro and caused significant losses to the city budget.
According to the investigative materials, the former manager did not provide a proper risk assessment for the metro facilities and did not initiate regular inspections of the technical condition of the tunnel structures. This led to the destruction of individual elements of the tunnels, the appearance of cracks in the walls, as well as the violation of waterproofing, which caused flooding and the formation of stalactites. As a result of this situation, on December 8, 2023, it was necessary to suspend the movement of trains on the section between "Lybidska" and "Demiivska" stations.
Calculations showed that in three months of downtime, the Obolonsko-Teremkiv line caused losses to the budget of Kyiv in the amount of over UAH 138.5 million, and also led to a lack of income of the enterprise in the amount of about UAH 26 million. During the pre-trial investigation, a number of examinations were conducted, including fire-technical, construction-technical and economic, which confirmed the tunnel's inadequate technical condition.
The history of the scandal and the resignation of the manager
Viktor Braginskyi, who managed the Kyiv Metro for almost 10 years, came into the spotlight after an investigation by Bihus.info journalists. It turned out that his mother, a pensioner, owns expensive apartments, and his ex-wife is building a country house in an elite suburb, which did not correspond to official declarations. Braginskyi resigned on March 15, 2024, following the call of the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klychka.
The Podil District Prosecutor's Office of the city of Kyiv charged the former manager with part 2 of Art. 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for responsibility for official negligence with grave consequences. Since he did not appear on the summons, the suspicion was sent to his official address, and law enforcement agencies are conducting measures to establish his whereabouts.
