In Sumy region, the Russian Federation seized settlements where the Lviv OVA, which was involved in a corruption scandal, was building fortifications: activists expressed indignation
Against the background of the constant threat of a repeated Russian offensive from the north, the issue of the quality and transparency of the construction of fortifications on the border territories is of critical importance. In the Kharkiv region, loud scandals have repeatedly erupted around the improper construction of defensive lines, but now attention is focused on the Sumy region. It is known, that the Russian troops recently captured at least four settlements — Novenke, Basivka, Veselyvka and Zhuravka — precisely on the territory where defensive structures were built last year with numerous violations and shady agreements under the leadership of the Lviv Regional Military Administration. This fact once again put on the agenda the issue of responsibility of those who were supposed to provide protection, but instead — mastered billions.
Activists of the NGO “Anti-corruption monitoring of Lviv region” reported, that In 2024, the construction of fortifications in the Sumy Oblast was not undertaken by the local government, but by the Lviv Regional Government within the framework of a centralized initiative, when part of the functions were distributed interregionally. The supervised construction site in Sumy Oblast was handled by the deputy head of the Lviv OVA Yuriy Buchko, who is the godson of the father of the head of the Lviv Oblast Maksym Kozytskyi. It was this figure that turned out to be key in a number of publications by anti-corruption activists, who as recently as last year warned about the actual replacement of contractors with “manual labor.”
The NGO published the correspondence of the management of the state-owned enterprise “Galsillis” with the district administrations, which clearly stated: employees of forestry farms were sent to Sumy region not according to official documents, not with a reservation, but according to a verbal instruction, without a business trip, at their own expense. It was these people who physically built the dugouts — instead of contractors who won government tenders and received funds.
Almost 3 billion hryvnias were allocated from the reserve fund of the state budget for fortification in the Sumy region. The winners of the tenders were little-known firms, including the so-called “defense suppliers” connected to the regional leadership of Lviv Oblast. The essence of the change was obvious: companies received millions for the “construction of facilities”, and the work in the field was performed by forest farm workers who were sent there semi-legally. No clear standards, no quality assurance, no control.
A year has passed. And it was in this area, which should have been protected by fortifications, that the Russians occupied four villages on May 25. This fact proves not only the construction fiasco, but also the complete lack of power’s ability to guarantee protection at a time of crisis. After all, even if the objects were built, the issue of quality is in doubt – both in terms of materials and in terms of the construction conditions themselves. The NGO “Anti-corruption monitoring of Lviv Region” asks direct questions: who will be responsible? Why has none of the state structures — the SBU, the Security Intelligence Service, the Prosecutor General’s Office — made public the results of inspections or criminal cases, even though the scandal broke out as early as June 2024?
In the appeal, published on May 28, 2025, the activists appeal directly to the Acting to the chairman of the Lviv Regional Council Yuriy Kholod and to the head of “Halsillis” Ivan Pidhorodetskyi. They ask a simple question: what is the price of four villages in Sumy Oblast? And who will be responsible for the likely deliberate disregard of standards and negligence that led to the loss of territories and probably endangered the lives of the Ukrainian military?
This case became an illustration of how the centralized development of budget funds without a transparent mechanism of control, due responsibility and participation of professionals in contracting can not protect, but on the contrary, weaken the defense. What happened in Sumy Oblast is not just bureaucratic negligence. This is a crack in the fortification shield of the country, through which real danger passes, and without punishment of the guilty, it will happen again.
