11.7 million UAH to individuals and dozens of related companies: what was found in the payments of "Mykolaiv Parks"

The municipal enterprise “Mykolaiv Parks” for several years transferred millions of hryvnias to companies and individuals that turned out to be connected to each other through owners, employees, contacts, documents and family ties. Journalists claim that besides one enterprise already involved in a criminal proceeding, they found at least 10 related structures.

On August 10, 2026 this was reported by Nikcenter in a new journalistic investigation. Earlier, attention to the municipal enterprise’s procurements was drawn by the story of so‑called “anti‑vandal” benches in Mykolaiv, each costing the budget almost UAH 40,000. Law enforcement is already investigating possible embezzlement of budget funds involving officials of the enterprise and one of the contractors.

Over two years the municipal enterprise “Mykolaiv Parks” installed 219 such benches in Mykolaiv. They spent UAH 7.6 million on materials for them, which is about UAH 35,000 per bench, not counting other possible expenses.

The municipal workers explained the high price by the quality of the structures. Seats and backs were made from façade wood‑plastic composite panels resistant to sun and moisture, and metal frames were coated with powder paint to protect against corrosion. According to the enterprise, the benches were to be assembled by its own employees.

At the same time, Nikcenter noted that the parts for the benches were supplied not by large specialized manufacturers but by several local companies whose connections raised questions for journalists. One of these enterprises is already mentioned in a criminal proceeding concerning possible embezzlement of budget funds.

It concerns the private company “Domstroy-Nik”, registered in 2019 with a statutory capital of UAH 250,000. The official owner and director of the company is listed as Hanna Moroz. According to Prozorro data, the company received about UAH 2.2 million just for components for city benches, while the total amount of purchases from “Mykolaiv Parks” and other municipal structures of Mykolaiv was about UAH 20 million.

At the same time, the investigation established that Hanna Moroz left for Poland as early as July 2022 and, according to the case materials, has not returned to Ukraine since. During this time the company continued to participate in tenders and sign multi‑million contracts. Law enforcement also found that the phone numbers and email addresses in the company’s tender documents did not belong to its official owner.

Journalists at Nikcenter separately compared Hanna Moroz‘s signatures in recent years’ documents with the signature in the company’s charter upon registration. The investigators’ observations note that they noticeably differ in form and slant. Journalists suggest this may align with law enforcement’s version about the possible nominal nature of the company’s management.

Law enforcement also did not find any vehicles, material assets, hired employees or an office at the registered address of the private company “Domstroy-Nik”. These circumstances are named in the investigation materials as possible signs of the company being fictitious.

According to the investigation’s version, officials of the municipal enterprise may have involved business entities with signs of fictitiousness to form a controlled system through which budget funds could be managed. The investigation continues, and the courts must finally determine the guilt of specific individuals.

The story does not end there. Journalists examined companies that supplied components for the benches to “Mykolaiv Parks” over the past two years and found a number of overlaps among them.

These include the private companies “Streetbild”, “Nikdor-Plus”, LLC “Tsentrorgkom” and the already mentioned private company “Domstroy-Nik”. Although legally these are different companies with different owners, journalists found common employees, contacts and documents. Metadata of some files, according to Nikcenter, indicate that documents from different companies may have been created from the same computer or account.

A telling case involved the private company “Streetbild”. The company uploaded to the tender documentation a certificate about employees that was actually issued for another company – the private company “Nikdor-Plus”. Nevertheless, the documentation made it into the procurement.

The owner of “Streetbild” is Olena Andreieva, whom journalists call the probable wife of the head of the municipal enterprise of the Mykolaiv City Council “Mykolaiv Vegetable Base”, Yurii Andreiev. He headed that municipal enterprise in the autumn of 2023.

According to the investigation, LLC “Tsentrorgkom” is also connected to the Andreiev family. The formal owner of the company was listed as Ivan Avramenko, but the phone number given in the company’s documents, according to Getcontact, belongs to Denys Andreiev. Journalists suggest he is the son of Yurii Andreiev and Olena Andreieva.

In addition, Denys Andreiev represented the former owner of LLC “Tsentrorgkom” during the transfer of statutory capital. Through his own company “Den Avtotrans”, he also, according to tender documents, leased equipment to the private company “Domstroy-Nik”, which is now involved in the criminal proceeding.

Two other people who regularly appear in various contractors’ documentation are Ihor Zhilkin and Yurii Horobets. Both are associated with the private company “Nikdor-Plus”: Ihor Zhilkin was the owner and director of the company until 2025, after which the company and leadership position were taken by Yurii Horobets.

It was the private company “Nikdor-Plus” that carried out the work on creating the scandalous flower bed on Soborna Street in Mykolaiv, which cost about UAH 1 million. Residents then raised questions not only about the price but also about the quality of the work – in particular the condition of the boards and the bench assembly.

Yurii Horobets and his wife Tetiana Horobets have for many years been engaged in manufacturing landscaping elements and participating in city procurements. As early as 2017, a company associated with them repaired about 10 playgrounds in the Central district of Mykolaiv.

Currently Tetiana Horobets runs a joint business with Vladyslav Buzin, whom journalists call the probable husband of the former head of the municipal enterprise “Mykolaiv Vegetable Base”, Natalia Buzina.

Nikcenter also compared the signatures of the heads of “Streetbild”, “Tsentrorgkom” and “Nikdor-Plus” in their earlier documents with signatures in agreements for 2024–2025. Journalists note that these also noticeably differ, but the authenticity of signatures can only be definitively established by the appropriate expertise.

A separate part of the investigation was devoted to payments to individuals. It turned out that people who simultaneously were directors or owners of contracting companies also concluded personal civil‑law contracts with “Mykolaiv Parks”.

From 2022 to 2026 the municipal enterprise paid individuals under such contracts a total of UAH 11.7 million. The enterprise’s director, Dmytro Chuchmai, confirmed these payments in a response to Nikcenter and explained that they were for finishing, sanitary‑technical works, arrangement of water supply, sewage, heating and ventilation. According to the enterprise, the staff lacked employees with the necessary qualifications.

At the end of 2023 the municipal enterprise simultaneously signed 5 contracts with individuals for construction of utility facilities without conducting an open procurement for these works. Among the contractors were the owner of “Nikdor-Plus” Yurii Horobets, and father and son Oleh Buzin and Vladyslav Buzin.

Also among the contractors was Vage Arutyunyan, whose companies, journalists found, previously gave positive reviews for other enterprises mentioned in the investigation to help them participate in procurements. For these works alone the municipal enterprise paid almost UAH 500,000.

Journalists found similar payments to people connected to the Andreiev family. In particular, their daughter‑in‑law Ksenia received more than UAH 160,000 for assembling the same “anti‑vandal” benches. Nikcenter reports that it has copies of the contract and the work completion certificate.

Some contracts, however, journalists were unable to obtain. “Mykolaiv Parks” explained that former accountants who had access to the documents have already left, and the whereabouts of some papers are unknown to the enterprise.

The management of “Mykolaiv Parks” does not see violations in the practice of concluding such contracts itself. Dmytro Chuchmai referred to the fact that the law does not prohibit individuals, including company directors or founders, from separately entering into civil‑law contracts to perform works.

When asked by journalists why many contractors were people connected to the enterprise’s subcontractors, “Mykolaiv Parks” answered that specialists are sought not only via employment websites but also through recommendations from the enterprise’s regular counterparties.

So far in the publicly known criminal proceeding the private company “Domstroy-Nik” is listed as a separate contractor. The pre‑trial investigation concerns possible abuse of official position and is being conducted under the signs of Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. As of the previously published information, there is no final court decision on the guilt of specific persons.

At the same time Nikcenter journalists believe the network of connections may be much broader. According to their calculations, at least 10 other companies are added to the already established circle, connected through equipment and premises rental, shared contacts, employees and recommendations in Prozorro. Some of these contractors received orders not only from “Mykolaiv Parks” but also from the Department of Housing and Communal Services and district administrations of Mykolaiv.

Earlier we wrote:

• Million salaries amid losses: directors of Mykolaiv municipal enterprises earn like whole crews of workers
• MP “Mykolaiv Parks” under investigation: law enforcement checks a possible scheme
• Cleaning for ₴164 million: MP “Mykolaiv Parks” asks for more money and new people
• When “autumn is to blame”: MP “Parks” asks for UAH 45 million because leaves fall “too actively”
• Management of MP “Mykolaiv Parks” receives hundreds of thousands in bonuses while the real parks are deteriorating