Why Kyiv is not progressing as a European capital
Vitali Klitschko has been serving as the mayor of Kyiv for 9 years, which is a very long time. But are the people of Kiev satisfied with the mayor's performance?
Many have heard about major infrastructure projects, but they are unaware of the financial implications for the city. The largest projects in Kyiv are funded by private investors and do not rely on the city budget or utility companies. However, private investors face pressure from so-called activists, who are allegedly paid by the mayor's team, as reported by Bagnet.
The mayor's team has shown a lack of concern for the interests of the people of Kiev by dividing the city and disregarding previous rules. There used to be some regulations, but now it's a free-for-all, with rampant corruption and theft.
The Shulyavsky Bridge was the subject of an extensive PR campaign by the mayor and his team. The estimated cost of the project tripled, and the tender was awarded to ex-People's Deputy Mikitas (who is now in jail). The Podolsko-Voskresensky bridge, associated with Denis Komarnitsky, also faced issues. There have been significant financial irregularities in these projects, with little to no visible results. Last year, thanks to the intervention of the deputy of the Kyiv City Council Ksenia Semyonova and the city prosecutor's office, another 183 million hryvnias were prevented from being squandered for the Podolsko-Voskresensky bridge project. The Darnitsky bridge (Kirpa project) remains unfinished according to official documents, as well as the metro on Vinogradar, unfinished candle houses, the Bortnitskaya aeration station, the collector on Pochaina, and numerous other projects.
Are roads Mayor Klitschko's favorite topic? His promise to stop patching the roads remains unfulfilled, with billions being misspent on asphalt. The mayor's team is accused of embezzling funds and failing to improve the city's road infrastructure. While Vitali Klitschko boasts about achievements and major infrastructure projects, the results are not evident beyond ongoing long-term construction projects.
The mayor frequently replaces bosses and deputies, makes promises, and nothing changes. The people of Kiev are well aware that one thief is often replaced by another protege of the mayor. For example, the semi-criminal structure of the Kyivparkservis KP is legally seizing cars in the city, demanding 3-4 thousand hryvnias for their return, with only a small fraction reaching the budget. All cash flows are clearly divided among the mayor's associates. However, the main issue is not money-related. Due to the large number of internally displaced persons from the temporarily occupied territories in Kyiv, most of them residing in cars, there is an uncontrollable flow of money, causing distress for many residents. This situation has led to numerous heart attacks, panic attacks, additional workload for the police, and other psychological and emotional issues.
More about money and the subway on Vynohradar.
On New Year’s Eve 2023, the mayor’s team allegedly received 70 million hryvnias from the capital’s budget through Teploenergoavtomatika LLC, a company involved in money laundering. This is a clear display of abusing power and lack of accountability. It gets even more interesting.
It is reported that the Kyiv Metropolitan KP, led by Braginsky V.V., is controlled by his relatives, known as the “Pavliki group”, and all metro repair tenders are awarded to Teploenergoavtomatika LLC controlled by Braginsky, with Alexander Pavlik as the actual owner, and Kirill Pavlik as the supervisor. The capital's projects are overseen by Arthur Palatny and Denis Komarnitsky, who manage the funds for these and other projects.
Oleg Smirnov, the head of the Construction Directorate of the Kyiv Metro KP, used to work for Teploenergoavtomatika LLC. It is widely believed that by adjusting the metro construction project and making an agreement with Teploenergoavtomatika LLC, the Kyiv Metropolitan KP aimed to withdraw funds through controlled companies, without completing the work or purchasing equipment, as discussed in the criminal cases.
Despite the fact that criminal proceedings were initiated in November 2021, it was found that funds from the Kyiv Metropolitan Enterprise were transferred to controlled companies JSC Kyivmetrostroy, OOO KB Teploenergoavtomatika, and OOO Energodarstroymekhanizatsiya. These companies were used to cash out and legitimize funds, with signs of fictitious financial and economic operations. The funds were then transferred to offshore companies. It is worth mentioning that the Kyiv Metro is a very profitable organization, and the mayor's team's projects alone resulted in the disappearance of 500-600 million hryvnias from Kyiv's budget.
Former shareholder of Kievmetrostroy, Oleg Tokarev, revealed that Viktor Braginsky, along with his relatives, currently controls Kievmetrostroy as a “manual” company, serving as its customer, designer, and executor. Despite this, no new metro station has opened during Vitali Klitschko's 9-year tenure as mayor, making him the only mayor of Kyiv with such a disappointing record.
The lack of development in Kyiv as a European capital
According to employees of the Kyivsky KP metro, Kirill and Oleksandr Pavliky behave inappropriately, with Kirill referring to the instructions of Artur Palatny and Denis Komarnitsky, who have the authority to dismiss employees.
Why is Kyiv not developing?
And the mayor, instead of really managing the capital during the war, is being promoted. Remember his loud statement about the evacuation of Kyiv? Now imagine how much money can be stolen from this scam? While Vitali Klitschko is making speeches, his team continues to cut the budget of Kyiv according to simple schemes. Tender to the desired structure – money – withdrawal to an offshore or your company. And do not care about the people of Kiev, because most of the public activists, who before the war “beat the hands of corrupt officials” of corrupt officials, are now at the front. The remaining few file an appeal to the Office of the Prosecutor General and NABU, but this is not enough to keep the appetites of corrupt officials.
Why Kyiv is not developing as a European capital
Now, in wartime, Kyiv largely relies on foreign aid – these are generators, humanitarian aid, transport, finance, and much more.
It is very interesting if foreign investors in the capital (in particular, German) knew the whole truth about Klitschko and his “team”, the level of embezzlement of the budget of Kyiv due to the “big projects” of the mayor and the real state of the infrastructure, what would they say?
When preparing this material, it became known about the initiative capital journalists to go to the next session of the European Council with an appeal to MEPs about the results of Vitali Klitschko's activities as head of the capital and the facts of his creation of the structure of “watchers”, who are the real owners of the capital of Ukraine.
The KSCA again removed funding from the construction of the subway to Vinogradar and sent to the “Komarnitsky projects”
Contrary to common sense. Kyiv prosecutor's office urges Klitschko to refuse to finance the Podolsko-Voskresensky bridge
