Large-scale unauthorized construction on Lanzheron: court sentences head of Odesa dolphinarium
4 December 2025 21:23
In Odesa, the director of the Nemo Dolphinarium and the head of the Nerum company were served with a notice of suspicion of large-scale unauthorized construction on the territory of Lanzheron Beach. The Primorsky District Court imposed a pre-trial restraint in the form of nightly house arrest. This is stated in the court ruling, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Construction outside the lease
According to the prosecutor’s office, from 2018 to 2025, a group of people, including the director of Nerum LLC, illegally built up 823 m² of the coastal protection zone belonging to the community of Odesa. They built swimming pools, playgrounds, commercial areas with sun loungers and food courts, as well as fences and stone flower beds that restricted access to the sea coast.
The company had an official lease for only 0.5 hectares for the dolphinarium and the Nemo hotel complex, but, according to the investigation, the director expanded the development far beyond the permitted area.
Millions of dollars in damages to the community
A forensic evaluation found that the unauthorized construction caused more than UAH 20.5 million in damages to the community of Odesa. In 2025, the work continued, with a 71 m² covered area around one of the swimming pools built without any permits.
Risks of traveling abroad
The prosecutor’s office insisted on a strict preventive measure, arguing that the head of the dolphinarium had repeatedly traveled outside Ukraine during the year. The court partially upheld the prosecution’s position: the suspect is prohibited from leaving his place of residence at night – from 22:00 to 06:00 – until January 26, 2026.
Previous court decisions
Earlier, the Primorskyi Court of Odesa found Anatolii Solontsov, director of the Nemo Dolphinarium, guilty of collaboration and imposed a fine of UAH 170 thousand, a resonance that again drew attention to the activities of the Nemo complex on the coast.
