A high-profile corruption scandal has erupted in the Odessa region surrounding the construction of a school shelter in the village of Vyhoda. According to sources, the head of the Odessa Regional State Administration, Oleh Kiper, together with the leadership of the Vyhoda community, implemented a multi-level scheme to embezzle budget funds under the guise of a civil defense project.
We are talking about a facility worth over UAH 97 million, which is financed from the state budget and at the expense of an EU subvention within the Ukraine Facility.
The key contractor was the company "DAVMIR STROY", which was the only participant in the tender. The absence of any competition indicates that the terms of the purchase were written for "their" contractor. At the same time, the company has no proven experience in building shelters, qualified personnel or the necessary technical base.
Experts have identified numerous signs of overpricing of materials. In particular, concrete is purchased at UAH 4,740 per cubic meter at an average market price of UAH 3,350–3,650. The cost of delivery has increased more than five times. Reinforcement, membranes, self-leveling floors and putty mixtures are purchased with an overpayment of up to 400%. Preliminary calculations show that for only a few items, the possible overpricing exceeds UAH 6 million.
The contractual structure itself poses a particular threat. Despite the formal “fixed” price, the contract provides for a number of conditions for its constant increase: indexation due to inflation, additional work, clarification of the contractor’s costs. This opens up virtually unlimited possibilities for manipulation and “fixing” of the estimate throughout the entire project implementation period.
Thus, a strategic project designed to ensure the safety of children turns into another scheme of setbacks and cuts — with a risk to both the budget and the timely completion of the work.
