Klitschko, Acting in the Interests of Developer Nikonov, Ordered the Felling of Holosiivskyi Park

The head of the capital, Vitali Klitschko, gave his consent to destroy part of Holosiivskyi Park in the interests of developer Igor Nikonov and KAN Development. Instead of laying conduits along the street as the initial project envisaged, the cheapest route through a protected area was chosen, which will lead to the felling of about 600 valuable trees. The city hall described the park’s destruction in central Kyiv as the “implementation of Kyiv’s City Energy Sustainability Plan.” Local residents, outraged, took to protests but faced police intervention, which ensured the work on tree cutting proceeded and prevented any obstruction to the developer’s actions.

The most interesting thing is that after the mass tree felling, Igor Nikonov and KAN Development hurriedly distanced themselves publicly from the construction of the heat pipeline in Teremky. The company stated that they have no relation to design or laying of the pipeline, and denied that it is built for the needs of Respublika Residential Complex. At the same time, KAN Development claims that it financed the forest belt back in the day.

KAN Development and Mayor Klitschko have been following this scenario before. One of the loudest examples is the Kitaivske Archaeological Complex, where Kyiv City Council renewed the leases of five parcels totaling over 70 hectares. Formally, the land is leased to CJSC Kyiv Vegetable Factory, but KAN Development openly confirmed its participation in the project and received subleased plots for large-scale residential development. On land that is a national archaeological monument, the developer plans to build more than 40 housing sections, despite its special protective status and years of public calls to preserve this historic site.

However, the story does not end there.

Related to the developer “Kyiv Vegetable Factory,” a court is trying to overturn the Government Resolution No. 863, which clarified the Kitaivske Archaeological Complex boundaries and strengthened its state protection. Moreover, the company demands effectively to prohibit the state from developing protective documentation for the monument. The situation is paradoxical: while the prosecutor’s office tries in court to return land to the state, the developer simultaneously seeks to erase legal mechanisms that would prevent building on one of Kyiv’s most valuable historical territories.

Especially cynical in this context are Igor Nikonov’s statements about his readiness to pay for archaeological studies of Kitaivske. In reality, archaeologists have worked here for over a hundred years, and the area itself has long been a unique monument where an ancient Slavic fortress, a cave monastery complex, a burial mound, a Byzantine amphora with silver grivnas from the 11th–12th centuries, and hundreds of other artifacts have been found, now kept in the National Museum of the History of Ukraine. At the same time, prosecutors found that the materials of the archaeological study prepared for the developer contain 14 forged sheets, which only intensified public resonance around the development.

Holosiivskyi Park is not the first object to come under the path of KAN Development’s projects. During the construction of the “Zona” residential complex, garages cooperatives were demolished; “Comfort Town” was built on the territory of a former industrial zone, and in Respublika Residential Complex, the public passage to Respublika Park Mall effectively became part of the closed space of the housing complex. Now this list may include Holosiivskyi Park as well, where to lay communications they plan to cut down about 600 trees. It seems that when the choice is between community interests and another construction project, the compromise is always to the detriment of Kyiv residents.

Based on the presented facts, we have already sent 3 complaints and 3 statements about a criminal offense, affecting more than 500 addressees. If law enforcement openly ignores our appeals, then Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi and Pecherskyi district court judges, hiding behind formal grounds, refuse to compel the authorities to initiate a pre-trial investigation. It is notable that it is the capital’s courts that have taken Nikonov’s and Klitschko’s side, and the scale of the alleged violations has not been properly assessed.

While Kyiv residents march to defend their parks, Vitali Klitschko and Igor Nikonov once again demonstrate that the choice between green zones and yet another development project is not in the city’s favor. Holosiivskyi Park today, Kitaivske tomorrow — if this practice becomes the norm, Kyiv risks losing not only hundreds of trees but also its own history, natural heritage, and the community’s right to decide what its city should be.