In Kherson, contractors affiliated with the authorities continue to build schools despite shelling and community protests: Bihus.Info (video)
In Kherson, despite active community protests, constant Russian shelling, and a long period of online learning, the construction of two underground schools continues. According to an investigation by Bihus.Info, the contractors involved in these projects have links to local authorities.
The article says that in early October, when they were still digging a pit for one of the future schools, an airstrike took place nearby, damaging a neighbouring school and multi-storey buildings. Local residents, fearing repeated shelling, opposed the continuation of construction, but the Kherson city military administration refuses to stop the projects, explaining that the shelling is allegedly not related to construction work.
Bihus.Info journalists also investigated the activities of the contractors who fulfil these orders. The first contract, worth 95 million hryvnias, went to Alsvit Plus. The company is registered to Oleksandr Solovian and, despite being registered in Kyiv, actively receives public orders in Poltava. Journalists note that the company has already been involved in investigations related to inflated prices and unfinished projects, and is also the subject of law enforcement investigations for possible collusion with officials.
In the spring of 2024, before Alsvit Plus started working in Kherson, its director changed – the position is now held by Oleksandr Potelezhko, who, according to court documents, had problems with the law during his service. At the time, the military prosecutor who initiated the case was Roman Mrochko, who is now the head of the Kherson City Military Administration.
Another company, Budpostach STSV, was awarded a UAH 90 million contract to build an underground school and is also engaged in repairing shelters in the city. Among the co-owners are Oleksandr Novokhatskyi and Oleksandr Zahoskin, who studied at the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas together with scientist Oleksandr Susak. Susak, as an individual entrepreneur, also receives contracts for shelters and is Zagoskin’s business partner.
The journalists asked the project participants for comments, but received mixed responses: Oleksandr Susak refused to talk, while Serhiy Orekhov, deputy head of the city administration, denied knowing him.
