Flight Scheme: Golden Sand for the College in Suitcases and Perpetual Facade Repairs Amid Forced Evacuation

While instructors at the Kremenchuk Flight College are being laid off, the technical library is being sold for scrap paper, and the institution is being prepared for an urgent relocation, the finance department is putting on a master class. Ignoring suitcases in the hallways, management continues to issue multi-million contracts for major repairs of buildings with classified addresses, generously covering construction sites with sand at double the price and awarding contracts exclusively to a vetted pool of companies.

In January 2026, at a meeting of the Interior Ministry, a decision was made to relocate the Kremenchuk Flight College to the western part of the country. Local authorities and part of the staff opposed the move. Since then a public struggle has been underway: appeals from the city council, the arrival of the rector of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs (KNUVA), Interior Ministry commissions, dismissal of some instructors, the handing over of technical literature for scrap, statements from city activists and politicians.

While this drama continues, the college’s financial life does not stop. It keeps signing multi-million construction contracts. The latest example is a contract for 94,9 million hryvnias with the Kharkiv company PE “YEVROBUD.” The budget for this contract again shows inflated prices similar to the college’s previous contractors. And among all contracts over the past two years another pattern emerged: in 2025 year all of them, without exception, went to only two companies.

NEW CONTRACTOR, SAME OLD PRICING STORY

“YEVROBUD”

On 17 July 2026 the college announced a tender for major repairs of the facade, roof, utility networks and certain premises of one of its facilities with a classified address.

As with the college’s previous large procurements, only one participant showed up at the bidding – the Kharkiv private enterprise “YEVROBUD” with an offer of 79,1 million UAH excluding VAT or 94,9 million UAH including VAT. That is, the savings amounted to less than 0,6% of the expected price.

PE “YEVROBUD” was registered in 2001 in Kharkiv. Since 2023 the company’s legal address has been in Irpin in Kyiv region, although tender documents state the company actually operates via a Kharkiv address. In the list of the company’s activities, besides construction, are more than a dozen non-core lines: wholesale trade in timber, metal products, stall trade, freight road transport, IT services.

The director is Oleg Polupan; he has managed the private enterprise since 2022. The ultimate beneficial owner with a 100% share is Kharkiv resident Yuliya Holikova.

In December 2024 “Nashi Hroshi” mentioned “YEVROBUD” in a piece: the company won a State Border Guard Service tender for major repairs of the sanatorium “Prykordonnyk-Nemyriv” for 55,1 million UAH. Journalists then calculated that a competitor, LLC “Investbud-11,” offered a price 3,9 million UAH lower, but its proposal was rejected due to a formal error in the contract price documentation. And in YEVROBUD’s own estimate journalists found overpricing in at least five items — more than 1 million UAH (insulation “NT Facade 135”, windows, porcelain stoneware, etc.).

Reporters also noted travel expense items — 6,38 million UAH, of which 2,71 million were planned for lodging for 34 construction workers in a hotel for 324 days (950 UAH per person per day), another 3,37 million for per diems (over 300 UAH per person per day). By comparison, the average construction worker’s salary in Lviv at that time, according to Work.ua, was half as much as those per diems.

Overall, since 2019 YEVROBUD has received 82 contracts totaling 246,72 million UAH, primarily from the Main Center for Capital Construction, Reconstruction and Procurement of the State Border Guard Service and the Kremenchuk Flight College.

Estimate

Journalists from MediaDovod analyzed the final resource statement for the college’s contract with YEVROBUD and compared the listed prices with market rates.

Thus, natural common sand in the estimate was priced at the release price (i.e., excluding transportation and storage costs) at 1 500 UAH/m3 (prices below are shown with VAT). Because the address is classified, for comparison we used the national average price for river sand. According to the July price monitoring by SE “NIRI,” it is 677,59 UAH/m3. The difference is more than double. At a volume of 910,88 m3 the likely overpayment on sand alone may exceed 700 thousand UAH.

Kerb stones BR100 30.15 — in the estimate 642 UAH/pc, according to NIRI — 453,53 UAH/pc. The estimate includes 920 units, so the likely overpayment exceeds 170 thousand UAH.

Thermal insulation boards NT Roof 100, 1000×600×150 mm (density 100 kg/m3) — in the estimate 1 277,9 UAH/m2. In the retail chain “Budivelna Hildiia” an equivalent board of this density and thickness costs 768 UAH/m2; at the “Skidkoff” store it costs 615 UAH/m2. At a volume of 692,65 m2 the likely overpayment may exceed 350 thousand UAH.

A similar situation with thermal insulation boards NT Roof 160, 1000×600×100 mm (density 160 kg/m3) – the estimate’s release price is 1 194,37 UAH/m2. “Budivelna Hildiia” offers such a board for 820 UAH/m2; at “Skidkoff” it costs 680 UAH/m2. Even using the higher price, the overcharge on these boards also exceeds 350 thousand UAH.

Insulation “NT Facade 135”, 150 mm – in the estimate 1 166,3 UAH/m²; market offers found: “SKS” offers them at 857,5 UAH/m2, online store “Atlant” – 1 065,41 UAH/m2, “SpetsBudPostachannia” – 852,65 UAH/m2. At a volume of 1 363,501 m2 the overpayment may exceed 135 thousand UAH.

Aerated concrete block Stonelight 600x200x300 mm D-500 in the estimate costs 4 514,58 UAH/m3. Online stores offer it cheaper: “Kub” – 3 900 UAH/m3, “Hazoblock” sells similar blocks at 3 500 UAH/m3. On this item the likely overpayment may be about 55 thousand UAH.

Hot and warm asphalt concrete mixes A-20 (ASG.Dr.Sh.A.NP.I.BND 70/100-DSTU B V.2.7-119:2011) are listed in the estimate at 8 280 UAH/ton, while PJSC “Asphalt Concrete Plant” sells mix A-20 of that standard for 6 588 UAH/ton, and the company “Kyivbud” for 4 985 UAH/ton. The overpayment on this item is over 570 thousand.

The second asphalt item, Asphalt concrete mix A-40 ME (ABS BMP.Kr.Sh.A1.NP.BMPA 40/60-57 DSTU 8959: 2019) is also 8 280 UAH/ton in the estimate. “Asphalt Concrete Plant” sells such a mix for 6 954 UAH/ton, so the overpayment is about 670 thousand hryvnias.

Thus, on just eight checked items in the estimate the likely overpayment in the contract with “YEVROBUD” amounts to more than 3 million hryvnias. This is another large procurement by the Kremenchuk Flight College in two years where prices in the estimate raise questions.

ONLY TWO COMPANIES

But inflated estimates are only one side of the story. The other concerns who actually gets the college’s contracts. Since 2025 year all construction contracts of the institution — totaling 243,7 million hryvnias — were split between just two companies: LLC “Specialized Management ‘Khimmontazh-14’” and “Trest Zhytlobud-1”, which throughout the year never once competed against each other in the same tender.

In the college’s tenders they seem to alternate: in June “Khimmontazh-14” wins first, two weeks later “Trest Zhytlobud-1”, in July again “Trest Zhytlobud-1”, in October “Khimmontazh-14” wins again (immediately for 92 million), in November once more “Khimmontazh-14”. And at the end of December — the most illustrative episode — three contracts were published three days in a row, on 24, 25 and 26: first “Trest Zhytlobud-1”, then again “Trest Zhytlobud-1”, and then “Khimmontazh-14”. As a result, “Khimmontazh-14” received five contracts totaling 163,5 million UAH, “Trest Zhytlobud-1”— four contracts totaling 80,2 million UAH.

LLC “Specialized Management ‘Khimmontazh-14’” was founded in 2009 in Sumy with a charter capital of 63 thousand hryvnias. The owner and head of the company is Borys Zhurko. In the registry the company lists 44 additional types of activity, mostly unrelated to construction — from meat trading to car repair.

The enterprise has previously appeared in journalistic materials regarding inflated prices: it was mentioned in reports about overpricing on the repair of a school in Lypova Dolyna and the “Veselka” kindergarten in Sumy region, and “Censor.net” wrote about court disputes over failure to fulfill contracts and a criminal proceeding over embezzlement of funds on repairs at Okhtyrka TPP.

PJSC “Trest Zhytlobud-1” is a company with an even longer history. It was founded 30 years ago. It is one of the largest contractors in Kharkiv region and the main asset of a construction group of 35 companies. Its long-time head, Oleksandr Kharchenko, is an honored builder of Ukraine, a member of the Kharkiv city executive committee, a former deputy from the Party of Regions, who according to YouControl directly owns 94,72% of the company’s charter capital.

There is another notable detail in his biography: Kharchenko also sits on the supervisory board of KNUVA — the very university to which the college is subordinated and whose tenders this may potentially create a conflict of interest.

The reputation of “Trest Zhytlobud-1” is not spotless: in the past three years alone the company has appeared in 36 criminal cases, including crimes against property and in the area of official activity. “MediaDovod” has already written that the firm is mentioned in investigations about the so-called “cooperative scheme” associated with the teams of Hennadiy Kernes and Mykhailo Dobkin: since 2008 the Kharkiv city council allegedly allocated land for servicing cooperatives linked to developers, including Kharchenko’s company, and housing built on those plots was later sold as ordinary commercial real estate. In 2015 the prosecutor’s office investigated possible embezzlement of part of 230 million UAH allocated for the reconstruction of Gorky Park. In 2019 the firm built housing for the SBU in Mariupol for 111 million UAH — 50–70% more expensive than similar housing in other regions.

Despite this, “Trest Zhytlobud-1” remains one of the main contractors in Kharkiv region, and after the full-scale invasion — one of the main contractors for rebuilding destroyed apartment buildings. In just 2025 year the value of contracts signed with the company exceeded 700 million UAH — mostly emergency-restoration work and construction of shelters for schools and kindergartens. And here too there were questions about prices: the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center found overpricing of more than a million hryvnias when restoring the “Vienna House,” and “Nashi Hroshi” found overpricing of 20–40% on certain line items in the estimate for a shelter for Lyceum No. 105 costing 100 million UAH, with a potential overpayment of at least 2,5 million UAH.

MediaDovod has written about both of the college’s contractors repeatedly. We reported on a 45,5 million UAH contract with “Trest Zhytlobud-1”, where even after lowering the bid during the tender, inflated prices were found in the estimate. For example, bricks were 30% more expensive than Poltava prices, and bitumen mastic nearly twice the market price.

We mentioned “Khimmontazh-14” separately: during reconstruction of a college building MediaDovod found a likely overpayment of at least 5 million UAH. After that they appealed to the police with a statement about possible criminal offenses, but the police found no elements of a crime.

Only through a court order on 17 February 2026 did the National Police in Poltava Oblast register proceedings and get the case moving. It cannot be ruled out that the police’s reluctance to open proceedings was related to the fact that the college itself is subordinate to the Interior Ministry system.

So over the past two years the college has spent almost 300 million hryvnias of budget funds on construction. Most of the amount spent since 2025 went to two companies that systematically did not appear against each other in tenders. A third company, which finally broke that monopoly in July 2026, repeated the now-familiar estimate pattern — inflated prices by at least 3 million hryvnias. And all this happens while the very existence of the college in Poltava region remains in doubt.