NABU exposes large-scale scheme in Donetsk RSA: how fake works left frontline cities without heat
26 November 2025 18:11
Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have announced the exposure of a large-scale corruption scheme in the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, which resulted in the state losing more than UAH 140 million and residents of three frontline cities facing winter without heat and stable water supply.
This was reported by the press service of the NABU, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, a group of people led by the head of the Department of Housing and Communal Services of the Donetsk Regional State Administration was involved in organizing the scheme. The investigation believes that in 2023, the group members artificially inflated the cost of equipment and works, imitated competition in procurement and ensured the victory of a controlled company, which was actually managed by a classmate of the official.
Excessive contracts and unfinished boiler houses
A contract worth more than UAH 200 million provided for the supply and connection of seven modular boiler houses for Selidove and Ukrainske. Despite the fact that the equipment was delivered, only two boiler houses were connected – and they did not work due to technical defects. The NABU notes that the work was carried out without proper project documentation, and the customer extended the terms of the contracts without any reason.
Fictitious “restoration” in Sviatohirsk
The second stage of the scheme, according to the investigation, was implemented under the pretext of restoring water supply in Sviatohirsk. The money was transferred for work that was either not performed or was carried out in a “handicraft” manner, without permits and in violation of technical standards. To legalize the expenditures, the group members forged certificates of completion and put pressure on the heads of utility companies to accept the facilities on their balance sheets.
Consequences for the region
According to the estimates of anti-corruption authorities, the state’s losses exceeded UAH 140 million. At the same time, residents of frontline settlements were left without proper heat and water supply services during a critical period.
The published data is another in a series of anti-corruption decisions in recent weeks
The High Anti-Corruption Court has ruled that the assets of the family of the former head of Odesa tax office worth over UAH 5.3 million are unjustified. Earlier, the court also recovered UAH 8.6 million to the state budget following a ruling in the case of the deputy head of the Kyiv National Police.
Separately, the SAPO and NABU reported suspicions of false declarations to Hryhoriy Didenko, the head of the Odesa Regional Council, and Yulia Didenko, an MP, while the NACP found violations in the declaration of the former head of the regional service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs worth more than UAH 3.1 million.
