Floriculture of High Technology: How Odesa Municipal Workers Rebuilt the City Through Relatives and Frontline Neighbors

If you still believe that restoring cities damaged by shelling requires licenses, construction equipment, and engineering expertise, Odesa officials are ready to prove the opposite convincingly. To receive tens of millions of budget hryvnias directly without tenders, it’s entirely sufficient to know how to arrange floral compositions, be the godfather of the head of a municipal enterprise, or simply live in the neighboring room of a dormitory with the right official. While ordinary municipal workers patch roofs on camera for a modest rate, streams of direct contracts worth cozy sums up to one and a half million hryvnias flow through front companies, relatives, and pensioners who don’t even suspect their own “development success.”

Sister, uncle, friend, relative. Multi-million contracts for repairing Odesa buildings damaged by Russian attacks were received for years by businessmen connected to the leadership of Odesa municipal enterprises. The investigative editorial team of Suspilne analyzed contracts for reconstruction in Odesa that were signed with individual entrepreneurs (FOPs) and phoned those whose ties to officials our research confirmed. Some were surprised to learn that, according to documents, they had rebuilt the city and received millions of hryvnias for it.

Repairs without tenders

Reconstruction isn’t only about large tenders worth tens of millions of hryvnias. Many contracts are signed for relatively small amounts: for example, window replacements, roof repairs, and door installations in buildings damaged by Russian attacks.

In Odesa, as Suspilne found, most reconstruction contracts were signed for amounts up to one and a half million hryvnias — expenditures below this threshold allow services to be procured directly, i.e., without using the electronic procurement system.

For years this allowed contracting authorities, the main one being the Department of Municipal Services of the Odesa City Council, to independently select contractors. Without auctions, competition, or the opportunity for other participants to offer their services and lower the price.

Directly, the department signed reconstruction contracts with 15 individual entrepreneurs. Apart from short reports on these agreements, the department did not publish anything on Prozorro: neither the contracts, nor detailed information about the FOPs, nor the budgets.

In this investigation we will not tell about every entrepreneur we found — only about those whose connections to officials we have proven.

In life — a florist, on paper — a builder

On her social media, Odesa resident Olena Kozyrieva shows floral arrangements and workdays in a flower shop. She calls herself a florist. At the same time, according to documents, the woman repairs apartment buildings and builds shelters with budget funds.

Olena Kozyrieva, according to documents, was involved in the reconstruction of two buildings in Odesa. Photo from Olena Kozyrieva’s Facebook

Kozyrieva registered as an entrepreneur in 2021, and soon began receiving contracts from the Department of Municipal Services of the Odesa City Council.

Overall, Kozyrieva signed 18 contracts for construction work in Odesa worth about 9,7 million hryvnias.

Her clients included the Department of Municipal Services, the municipal enterprise “Housing and Communal Service ‘Porto-Frankivskyi’” and the municipal institution responsible for the economic activities of educational facilities in Odesa’s Peresyp district. For the latter, the entrepreneur was, in particular, supposed to repair shelters.

Under three contracts with the department, Kozyrieva was to be involved in restoring buildings damaged by Russian shelling. In 2025 she received two contracts for major repairs of residential buildings on Mykhailivska Square, 12/14 and on Torhova Street, 45, with a total value of more than 2,5 million hryvnias. Another reconstruction contract was terminated by mutual agreement.

Why did department officials entrust construction work to a florist? We found the answer by researching her circle.

Judging by Kozyrieva’s social media, which she maintains very actively, the woman has no connection to the construction business and instead works as a florist. Screenshot from Olena Kozyrieva’s video on Facebook

As the Suspilne investigative editorial team discovered, Olena Kozyrieva’s brother — Denys Kosmin — is the head of the municipal enterprise of the Odesa City Council “Housing and Communal Service ‘Chornomorskyi’.”

We established that Kosmin formerly had the surname Soskov and was registered with Olena at the same apartment in Odesa. However, after marriage he took his wife Kateryna’s surname.

Denys Kosmin has years of civil service and work in Odesa municipal institutions behind him. He worked in the Malynovskyi District Administration, at the municipal enterprise “City Capital Construction” and, eventually, in 2024 he became head of “Chornomorskyi.”

Denys Kosmin with his wife Kateryna. Photo from Kateryna Kosmina’s Facebook

The family’s connection to Olena’s entrepreneurial activities does not end there. When registering as a FOP, Olena Kozyrieva listed a phone number that appears in registries as the phone of entrepreneur Olha Kosmina — Kateryna Kosmina’s mother.

Given this link, special attention should be paid to the department’s procurements in which Olena Kozyrieva competed with Olha Kosmina. They competed for almost two million hryvnias. Kosmina won.

The Suspilne investigative editorial team contacted Olena Kozyrieva for comment. At first the entrepreneur said it was convenient to talk. But after the first question — about which specific reconstruction works she had carried out in Odesa — she suddenly said she could not continue the conversation.

The reporter managed to ask whether Kozyrieva personally carried out reconstruction and whether the head of KP “HCS ‘Chornomorskyi’” Denys Kosmin is her brother. The entrepreneur did not answer either question, repeatedly saying she could not talk, and then ended the call.

We sent Kozyrieva the questions via messenger. She read the message but did not reply for a week.

The head of KP “HCS ‘Chornomorskyi’” Denys Kosmin, for his part, confirmed a family connection to Olena Kozyrieva, but avoided answering the clarifying question of whether she is his sister.

“We had a fight a long time ago, you could say, for family reasons. I don’t communicate with her about her activities and I don’t want to say anything,” he stated.

Denys Kosmin also denied facilitating Kozyrieva’s receipt of construction contracts. Asked how an entrepreneur who positions herself on social media as a florist began receiving contracts for repairs and reconstruction, he replied:

“How could I influence that? There are people responsible for that. I know nothing about her activities and I’m not interested.”

Kosmin also could not explain why the phone number that appears in Kozyrieva’s FOP registration belonged to the FOP of his mother-in-law Olha Kosmina.

“I don’t live in one household with… how did you call her — Olha. Yes, I know this person, but I don’t live with her and we don’t run a household together. I don’t know what she does,” commented Denys Kosmin.

Career, suspicion, and the connections of municipal worker Saichuk

Kosmin’s connections led us to another story. Kosmin is the godfather of the former head of KP “HCS ‘Porto-Frankivskyi’” Oleksandr Saichuk. He wrote this in social media, congratulating Saichuk on his birthday and publishing videos of their shared family vacation abroad.

Denys Kosmin congratulates his godson Oleksandr Saichuk on his birthday. Instagram of Denys Kosmin

Judging by their social media, the families continue to be friends. Recently the officials’ wives flew to Greece together.

Kateryna Kosmina and Saichuk’s wife Vita Charkovska on vacation. Screenshot from Charkovska’s Instagram

44-year-old Oleksandr Saichuk is from Vinnytsia region. He spent most of his career working in Odesa’s municipal sector: he headed HCS “Fontanskyi,” worked in the Department of Municipal Services, served as deputy director of KP “City Capital Construction,” and in 2023–2025 he led HCS “Porto-Frankivskyi.”

Oleksandr Saichuk held positions in Odesa municipal enterprises for many years. Photo from his social media

For several years Saichuk was also connected to the construction business and, judging by declarations, worked for entrepreneur Vita Charkovska — his wife, whom he never listed in declarations along with their children.

At the end of 2025 Saichuk left his position as head of HCS “Porto-Frankivskyi.” At that time he was already a suspect in a criminal case. According to the investigation, Saichuk organized a scheme of fictitious employment of draft-age men at the HCS “Porto-Frankivskyi” he headed, after which they were shielded from mobilization through the Diia portal.

Analysis of reconstruction procurement in Odesa conducted by the Suspilne investigative editorial team showed that entrepreneurs connected to Oleksandr Saichuk received contracts from institutions where he worked. Some agreements bear Saichuk’s own signatures.

Below we tell in more detail about FOPs whose paths intersected with Saichuk’s career.

Four contracts in one day: the success story of Saichuk’s friend

Sergii Tkachuk is from Vinnychchyna; he registered as an entrepreneur in October 2024. Less than two weeks later he received nine repair contracts from KP “HCS ‘Porto-Frankivskyi’,” four of them on the same day. Recall, the KP was headed by Oleksandr Saichuk.

Since then the entrepreneur has collaborated with that municipal enterprise and with the Department of Municipal Services of the Odesa City Council. The total value of contracts signed with him is 10,5 million hryvnias.

Among them is a contract to restore a multi-apartment residential building on Nizhynska Street, 12 in Odesa, damaged as a result of the Russian Federation’s armed aggression. The department did not publish details of the agreement. It is only known that under this contract Tkachuk received 1,3 million hryvnias.

Sergii Tkachuk is a friend of Oleksandr Saichuk. Photo from Tkachuk’s Russian social networks

Researching Sergii Tkachuk’s biography, we found that he indeed works in the construction field. He is also friends with Oleksandr Saichuk.

Tkachuk’s first construction contract as a FOP was signed with HCS “Porto-Frankivskyi,” which at that time was headed by Oleksandr Saichuk. Screenshot of the contract from Prozorro

However, Tkachuk and Saichuk are linked not only by signed contracts. On the entrepreneur’s social networks we found photos published as early as 2014 where the men fish together and swim in the sea. This may indicate they were friends long before the entrepreneur began receiving contracts from the municipal enterprise led by Saichuk.

Oleksandr Saichuk (left in the photo) and Sergii Tkachuk on vacation in 2014. Photo from a Russian social network

In a comment to the Suspilne investigative editorial team, Tkachuk called Saichuk an acquaintance and said he no longer communicates with him. At the same time, when asked whether Saichuk influenced the entrepreneur’s receipt of direct construction contracts in Odesa, Tkachuk said everything happened “by phone call.”

“Well, someone called, said, ‘There’s an object, if you want, take it, work.’ […] Gave a phone number: call and agree what you need,” Sergii Tkachuk recounted.

At the same time, Tkachuk denied that his acquaintance with Oleksandr Saichuk affected his receipt of contracts in Odesa. He did not explain by what criteria he was chosen as the contractor without any competition.

Tkachuk also could not recall what specific reconstruction work he carried out at the building on Nizhynska Street, 12 in Odesa, for which he received 1,3 million hryvnias.

“Do you think I remember? I’ve already forgotten. As usual: we putty, we paint. There’s a lot of that work — you do this here, then there,” he answered.

Had a dorm-room neighbor who received contracts worth 24 million

The next figure in our investigation is 66-year-old entrepreneur Nina Mazurok, who until 2016 shared an apartment in Odesa with Oleksandr Saichuk. In his declaration for 2016, the official also indicated that the apartment was jointly owned — but did not write the woman’s name, noting that “a family member did not provide information.”

As the Suspilne investigative editorial team established, Saichuk was not only a co-owner of the apartment but was registered at the same address with Nina Mazurok and her family. This fact may indicate a family relationship between them.

Nina Mazurok lived at the same address as Oleksandr Saichuk. Photo from Nina Mazurok’s Facebook

Another co-owner of the mentioned apartment was Viktoriia Landina — likely Nina Mazurok’s daughter. According to Saichuk’s declarations, she provided him with the use of her Toyota Land Cruiser free of charge.

Photos remain on the social networks of Saichuk’s wife Vita Charkovska that point to close ties between the family and Viktoriia Landina.

Oleksandr Saichuk with his wife and son at Viktoriia Landina’s birthday. Photo from the social networks of Oleksandr Saichuk’s wife

In 2021, when Nina Mazurok registered as an individual entrepreneur, Saichuk worked in the Department of Municipal Services of the Odesa City Council as deputy head of one of the departments.

A month after registration the entrepreneur received her first contract from that department — to replace windows in a residential building. The contract was signed without competitive bidding.

Another month later Mazurok received four new contracts from the department in a single day with a total value of more than 2,5 million hryvnias. Thereafter the volume of orders only grew.

To date the entrepreneur has signed contracts with various Odesa institutions for over 24 million hryvnias. Among them is a contract to restore a residential building damaged by Russian aggression which, however, was later terminated by mutual agreement.

We attempted to obtain comment from Nina Mazurok about her participation in construction work in Odesa. We called several times on all numbers available to the editorial team, but the entrepreneur did not answer.

We also sent questions to Nina Mazurok in two messengers. In particular, we asked whether she has a family relationship with Oleksandr Saichuk and whether he helped her obtain budget contracts, as well as who actually performed the work under her contracts and whether employees, equipment, or materials of Odesa municipal enterprises were involved.

Over the week Nina Mazurok did not reply, although she read a message in one messenger and later even deleted it.

An uncle who doesn’t know he’s involved in reconstruction

When registering as a FOP, Mazurok listed as her official address not the apartment she co-owned with Saichuk, but a dormitory on Radisna Street that belongs to one of Odesa’s municipal enterprises. In state registries she is recorded as a resident of room No. 179.

Next door, in room No. 176, another entrepreneur is registered — 77-year-old Vinnytsia native Mykola Pyvovar. And in room No. 177 — Oleksandr Saichuk. This room was also listed in the former official’s last declaration.

Mykola Pyvovar received public contracts in Odesa worth more than 22 million hryvnias. Photo from Pyvovar’s Instagram

Pyvovar became an entrepreneur about 10 years ago, and his first contract — as a result of public bidding — he concluded in 2017 with the Housing and Communal Service “Fontanskyi,” which at that time was run by his dorm neighbor Saichuk.

The first agreement of FOP Mykola Pyvovar was with the KP that Saichuk headed. Screenshot from Prozorro

Since then Pyvovar has re-registered in Vinnytsia region and received contracts from various institutions in Odesa totaling 22 million hryvnias.

One of them, signed in April 2025, concerns the reconstruction of a multi-apartment residential building on Novoselskoho Street, 50. Under this contract the entrepreneur received 1,2 million hryvnias. The customer was the Department of Municipal Services of the Odesa City Council. The department published no details about the order or the contract.

The Suspilne investigative editorial team found another connection between the entrepreneur and Oleksandr Saichuk. In phonebooks users list Mykola Pyvovar’s number under the name “Saichuk,” and one of the entrepreneur’s two official numbers belongs to Saichuk’s wife Vita Charkovska, who, like Pyvovar, is now registered as a FOP and receives construction contracts in Odesa.

In a conversation with the Suspilne investigative editorial team Mykola Pyvovar confirmed a family connection with Saichuk.

“Oleksandr Saichuk is my nephew,” said Pyvovar.

At the same time he denied that Saichuk helped him obtain construction contracts in Odesa or assisted in this matter. He added that he now lives in Vinnytsia region and has long not worked in construction.

“After the war we don’t do that,” said Mykola Pyvovar.

However, this does not align with Prozorro data, because since 2022 Odesa institutions have signed a total of 15 agreements with the entrepreneur worth over 7,6 million hryvnias. Mykola Pyvovar said he knows nothing about this.

— Look, in April 2025 you received a contract to reconstruct the building on Novoselskoho 50, — the reporter asks Pyvovar.

— I don’t know, — replied the entrepreneur.

Hearing further questions, including whether he knows Nina Mazurok, Pyvovar said he was busy and ended the conversation.

We also repeatedly called Oleksandr Saichuk on all numbers available to the editorial team, but he did not answer.

We sent questions about his ties to Mykola Pyvovar, Nina Mazurok, and Sergii Tkachuk to all messengers where he is registered. In one of them Saichuk read the message but did not reply within a week.

Criminal case about Odesa FOPs: municipal workers performed the work instead of them

In August 2025 investigators of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa region opened a criminal investigation involving entrepreneurs who received construction contracts from the Department of Municipal Services of the Odesa City Council.

According to the investigation, in 2024–2025 officials of the department, members of the relevant council commission, and employees of municipal enterprises organized a scheme to embezzle budget funds on repairs of multi-apartment buildings. This also concerns buildings damaged by Russian attacks.

Law enforcement believes the embezzlement mechanism involved inflating the volumes of work and the cost of materials in documents. Police also assert that some FOPs are relatives or acquaintances of department officials and of municipal enterprises “HCS ‘Porto-Frankivskyi’” and “HCS ‘Chornomorskyi’.”

According to the investigation, in 2024–2025 the Department of Municipal Services signed contracts with such entrepreneurs for major repairs of buildings totaling over 80 million hryvnias.

Investigators also found that part of the work that on paper was to be done by entrepreneurs was actually performed by employees of KP “HCS ‘Porto-Frankivskyi’” and KP “HCS ‘Chornomorskyi’,” which is confirmed by witness interrogations.

The FOPs from Oleksandr Saichuk’s circle that we identified do not, judging by court rulings, figure in the case. However, Denys Kosmin’s relative, Olena Kozyrieva, has come into the police’s field of view.

In a comment to the Suspilne investigative editorial team the head of KP “HCS ‘Chornomorskyi’” Denys Kosmin said he was hearing about the criminal case for the first time.

— I’m learning from you for the first time that there is some case. Nothing has been received at the enterprise. What can I comment on if I don’t know about it? — he said.

After the reporter clarified that the information is in the court register, Kosmin suggested that the rulings “may contain something said mistakenly” and asked to send an official request.

Oleksandr Saichuk, who headed KP “HCS ‘Porto-Frankivskyi’,” as noted, did not answer calls or messages.

Oleksandr Saichuk read Suspilne’s questions in Telegram but did not reply. Screenshot of the message

Our investigation showed that contracts for reconstruction and repairs of residential buildings in Odesa were received, among others, by entrepreneurs without professional construction experience but with family and friendly ties to the heads of two municipal enterprises. These agreements were signed without open tenders and without publishing contracts and estimates, and some FOPs began receiving budget contracts almost immediately after registration.