The Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office has reported suspicions to the former head of the Kyiv Metro Public Enterprise 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 found that his improper performance of duties caused devastating consequences for the capital's metro and caused significant losses to the city budget.
According to the investigation materials, the former head did not provide a proper risk assessment for metro facilities and did not initiate regular inspections of the technical condition of tunnel structures. This led to the destruction of individual elements of the tunnels, the appearance of cracks in the walls, as well as a violation of waterproofing, which caused flooding and the formation of stalactites. As a result of this situation, on December 8, 2023, train traffic had to be suspended on the section between the stations "Lybidska" and "Demiivska".
Calculations showed that during the three months of downtime, the Obolonsko-Teremkivska line caused losses to the Kyiv budget in the amount of more than UAH 138.5 million, and also led to a shortfall in the company's income 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 inadequate technical condition of the tunnel.
The background to the scandal and the resignation of the manager
Viktor Braginsky, who headed 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 dacha in an elite suburb, which did not correspond to official declarations. After an appeal from Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, Braginsky resigned on March 15, 2024.
The Podilsky District Prosecutor's Office of Kyiv has charged the former head under Part 2 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for liability for official negligence with grave consequences. Since he did not appear at the summons, the suspicion was sent to his official address, and law enforcement agencies are taking measures to establish his whereabouts.
