In 2025, the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine concluded an agreement with LLC “SK Construction” for the restoration of the building of the Presidium of the Academy at 70 Hryhoriia Skovoroda Street in Kharkiv. The cost of the work is UAH 40.7 million. The project is presented as an important step for the preservation of the city’s cultural heritage, but an analysis of the estimate indicates a number of suspicious overstatements.
In the documentation, the cement-sand mixture M100 costs 10.2 UAH per kg, while on the market it is sold for 6.72 UAH. The cement-sand mortar M150 is set at 4460 UAH per cubic meter, although the real price is about 3250 UAH. Only on this item is the possible overpayment burden for the budget reaching more than 100 thousand UAH.
In addition, the cost of paving slabs, metal tiles, and lighting fixtures is overstated. Special questions arise regarding individually manufactured wooden doors, which are planned to be purchased for 160,000–200,000 UAH per unit, a price that significantly exceeds the average market price.
LLC “SK Construction” was created only in 2024 and registered under Oleg Budarny. To perform the work, the company rents equipment from LLC “Building Structures Plant-7”. This structure is connected to business partners of the former prosecutor of the Kharkiv region Vasyl Sinchuk, known for his influence on the construction market of the region.
The restoration of the historic building on Skovorody Street is undoubtedly an important matter for Kharkiv. However, the concentration of the contract in the hands of a newly created company close to influential business groups, as well as the revealed overestimations in the estimate, call into question the transparency of the use of budget funds.
Instead of a frugal approach that would save millions of hryvnias, the project could turn into another story of “restoration at gold prices.”
