Instead of heat - losses and accidents: a multimillion scheme exposed in Mykolaiv region

Law enforcement officers uncovered a large-scale scheme to embezzle public funds during the major overhaul of heating networks in Pivdennoukrainsk. This was reported April 3 2026 by the Mykolaiv Police and the Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office. According to the investigation, involved in the scheme were the 45-year-old chief project engineer, the 47-year-old director of a private company and the head of the city council’s construction and repairs department. As a result of their actions, the city budget suffered damages totaling UAH 6,836,772.

Investigators established that at the beginning of 2022 a tender was announced through the public procurement system to replace heating supply pipes for one residential building. After the contracts were signed, the contractor unilaterally altered the project — instead of the specified pipes he used cheaper, lower-quality ones, but declared them at a significantly higher price. Based on these data he prepared certificates of completed works with inflated costs, which allowed him to obtain substantial funds from the budget.

The chief project engineer, responsible for design supervision, did not properly oversee the work and approved the changed technical solutions without conducting the required expert examination. At the same time, the head of the relevant municipal department, acting in the contractor’s interest, approved these decisions and signed payment documents. As a result of these actions, not only were financial losses caused, but real problems were created for residents: due to deviations from the project, the site recorded 96 ruptures of the hot water supply in the period from May 2023 to January 2025.

The company director has been notified of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and the chief engineer under Part 2 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The former municipal official was earlier notified in absentia of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and has been declared internationally wanted.

The court has already imposed preventive measures on the suspects. For their actions they face up to 12 years imprisonment with confiscation of property and a ban on holding certain positions. The pre-trial investigation continues.

Previously we wrote:

• The village head in Mykolaiv region will stand trial: signed acts without verification — the community lost UAH 630,000
• Work wasn’t checked, but money was paid: strange multi-million procurements surfaced in Mykolaiv region
• On paper treatment was perfect, but the budget shrank by UAH 21.3 million: suspicion against the director of the hospital in the Korabelnyi district
• Hospitals as “business”: over UAH 100 million embezzled through fictitious services — suspicions also in Mykolaiv
• The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) is checking possible collusion in the tender for the repair of a lyceum: in focus — companies of official Kukuruza