Last week, the real reason for the delay in the construction of the National War Memorial Cemetery was revealed. It turned out that the main factors of the delay are not "outraged residents" or the inaction of the Ministry of the Interior, but banal corruption.
In May 2023, the Verkhovna Rada passed a law providing for the implementation of the project on the site in Bykivna. It was explained to the families of the victims that the choice of this place is due to its intended purpose, which allows to start construction faster. Despite the fact that the families of the victims preferred another place within the boundaries of Kyiv, since it was agreed with the mayor Vitaliy Klitschko back in the spring of 2022, they resigned themselves to the choice because of promises of a faster completion of the project.
However, already in the summer of 2023, the project unexpectedly slowed down. At meetings with the families of the victims, Minister Laputina began to treat them with disdain, and the head of the Ministry of the Interior and the director of the Institute of National Remembrance said that Bykivnia was not suitable and offered to look for another place. Families, disappointed and outraged, were forced to agree to the option in Gatny, after numerous assurances that this was the only possible option.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal publicly promised to begin burials in the first quarter of 2024, but now, as the last quarter of 2024 approaches, construction has not yet begun. The state-run construction tender contains discriminatory requirements, and the tender winners turned out to be a consortium linked to figures already under NABU investigation. It turns out that Georgy Birkadze and the developer Yuriy Golyk, who are related to the tender, were involved in corruption schemes.
Last Friday, the developers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Institute of National Remembrance and representatives of the future memorial held a press conference, where they tried to reduce the media scandal. The winners of the tender could not provide convincing answers to questions about their experience in construction and the reasons for their interest in this project.
However, the issue of canceling the scandalous tender remains unresolved. According to statements at the press conference, the possibility of cancellation is considered only if it is found that Russian companies are among the suppliers. However, there are already granite suppliers with ties to Russia, which raises additional questions.
Meanwhile, the families of the dead continue to live in uncertainty, and the heroes of the war who gave their lives remain in the morgues and apartments of their relatives. The responsible officials continue to postpone the case for later, and corruption schemes prevent the implementation of the project.
