1,3 billion for chainsaws and "walking equipment": how Kyivteploenergo awarded a billion-hryvnia contract to a PE teacher with a delivery driver's resume

For Kyiv’s utilities, there exists a much more effective life hack for those who still spend years on specialized education and building a construction business. It is enough to post a video on social networks about the magical “technique of walking,” wish for the right amount in the universe, and timely transport the right people in a car.

Recently, outraged residents of Kyiv’s Teremky tried to defend the local park from the saws in clashes with the “Municipal Guard,” while the city enterprise Kyivteploenergo, without unnecessary eyes and talk, allocated 1,3 a billion hryvnias to a company that the day before had been transferred to a physical education teacher with a résumé as an expediter. State of emergency concealed the budgets, and the old equipment of Kyiv’s well-known developers at the site proved: the universe always responds to a sincere request, especially when backed by proven backroom ties to the mayor’s office. Hromadske journalists dissected the plain scheming of Kyiv’s municipal mafia.

On Kyiv’s Teremky, preparations for winter began as far back as summer. Since then, the local green zone resembled a secured facility. For the construction of a reserve heat line, they began felling the green zone. Local residents protested, claiming works were carried out without proper permits, and the heat line could have been laid around the park. Then the police and the Municipal Guard appeared, and clashes began.

Meanwhile, as protests continued, the construction budget grew. From July to September, the customer for works in Teremky — Kyivteploenergo — conducted four procurements totaling over a billion hryvnias. Hromadske has determined who received these funds.

As part of the city’s energy resilience plan, Kyiv is building a reserve heat line for Teremky. If the CHP-5 stops, this heat line should back up more than 280 buildings so they won’t be left without heat.

The reserve heat line project was broken into separate commissioning complexes, and from July to September Kyivteploenergo signed four contracts for their construction. The total value of these procurements exceeded 1,3 billion hryvnias. Contracts were signed precisely when protests were ongoing in Teremky.

Total cost of constructing the reserve heat line exceeded / hromadske

The first contract appeared in 20 July — for over 530 million hryvnias. Then, in 12 August, another — almost 170 million. In 27 August — another over 230 million. And the last contract, almost 390 million hryvnias, was signed in 25 September — just a few weeks ago. Works under these contracts are expected to be completed by 31 December 2026 of the year.

All four tenders of Kyivteploenergo were awarded without auctions to LLC Engineering and Construction Company “Atmosfera Management.” Why without auctions? The simplest justification — martial law. For the same reason, procurement names and signed contracts were classified. So what exactly makes up the total amount is not indicated in the open data.

Four tenders of Kyivteploenergo without auctions awarded to LLC Engineering and Construction Company “Atmosfera Management” / hromadske

New owners on the eve of the billion‑hryvnia contract

At first glance, Atmosfera Management seems like a company with history. Founded almost 11 years ago. Specializes in installation of water supply networks, heating and air conditioning systems. But it’s not that simple.

Let’s start with changes in registration data. In June this year, exactly one month before Kyivteploenergo’s first procurement for over 500 million, almost everything changed. Previously the company had six OKVEDs, mostly related to installation of engineering networks. In June, the firm broadened its profile. Now it includes: construction of pipelines, roads and buildings, production of metal structures, trade, equipment rental, etc.

Data from the analytical system YouControl / hromadske

That same month the LLC changed its email and phone number.

The company also relocated. First, in June, from Kyiv’s Druzhnosti Narodiv Boulevard to Sophiyivska Street, and then, in July, to Kharkiv, to an office where 28 other companies are registered.

Atmosfera Management changed its email and phone number / hromadske

In the same period the firm had a new director — Oleksandr Vitovsky. He is 40 years old, born in Kyiv. According to registry data, he has never had a sole proprietor or his own business. There are also no records of him ever being director of any company. The only known fact is that Oleksandr Vitovsky had a child support case.

Oleksandr Vitovsky — new director of Atmosfera Management / hromadske

From driver to Teremky construction

Even more interesting was Atmosfera Management’s new beneficiary, who received funds for Teremky construction — Oleksandr Chikal. He is a 39-year-old entrepreneur from Mykolaiv. Since June 2026 year the company has been wholly owned by him.

“I decided to try the walking technique. Before starting the walking, say, I wished for the amount I needed. And now we’ll see if it works or not,” Oleksandr Chikal shared in a video on his social media page about a year ago.

Just a few years ago, it would have been hard to call Oleksandr Chikal a successful entrepreneur. In 2012 year he studied to be a physical education teacher. This is stated in his resume on a job search site. From 2015 to 2020 he worked as a driver. He was seeking a driver, courier, or expediter position on the same site.

Oleksandr Chikal’s resume / hromadske

In the same period Chikal worked as a volunteer assistant to former Ukrainian MP from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc Serhiy Hlian. And signatures of Oleksandr Chikal on other users’ phones indicate he was a driver for the deputy.

Nevertheless, there was a sharp career turn into construction. And nearby appeared people and firms that had long worked with Kyivteploenergo. These are brothers Volodymyr and Viktor Besaga and entities under the brand Servit.

This trademark belongs to both brothers, and on Servit’s own site it presents itself as a group of companies in design and construction. But what do these have to do with our former driver Oleksandr Chikal?

In May 2025 year Chikal became founder and head of charitable fund “Sikurs.” Earlier, a stake in the fund belonged to businessman Volodymyr Besaga.

In May 2025 year Oleksandr Chikal became founder and head of the charitable fund “Sikurs” / hromadske

A year later Chikal appears in another company. In May 2026 year he becomes founder and beneficiary of LLC “Teploprimbud.” The company was owned by Oleg Yelfimov, who previously led LLC “Servit” Production and Commercial Center. This LLC was founded many years ago by the Besaga brothers.

In May 2026 year Oleksandr Chikal becomes founder and beneficiary of LLC “Teploprimbud” / hromadske

By 2026 year “Teploprimbud” had a different name and received multi‑million‑hryvnia contracts from Kyivteploenergo.

That is, even before the Teremky contracts, Chikal already appears in structures connected to Besagas and with a long history of working with Kyivteploenergo.

We decided to ask Oleksandr Chikal, who, according to hromadske, recently searched for a driver job for 23 000 hryvnias per month, how he became the owner of a company that received over 1,3 billion hryvnias for construction in Teremky.

He replied that he bought Atmosfera Management from the previous owners, but he declined to comment on the funds.

We found another non-business connection. Entrepreneur Volodymyr Besaga is now married to Olena Besaga. Last year she filed a lawsuit against the aforementioned former MP Serhiy Hlian seeking to deprive their joint son of parental rights.

So the current wife of Volodymyr Besaga has a child with former MP Serhiy Hlian. Hlian, whom Oleksandr Chikal previously worked for as an assistant and, according to phone records, a driver. So Chikal and Besaga intersect not only through companies. They are also linked by Serhiy Hlian.

By the way, at Teremky itself, branding technology from Servit was already working in the summer and autumn. Formally Atmosfera Management of Chikal and Besaga’s structures are separate. In practice, their traces converged again on one construction site.

We wanted to know whether the Besaga brothers or their structures are real developers in Teremky, and if not, what the Servit‑branded equipment was doing at the heat‑line site. But Volodymyr Besaga did not answer our calls.

Not the first high‑profile Servit story

Teremky is not the first high‑profile story around Servit construction. In 2017 year, next to the Zelensky family’s historic estate in Kyiv, the Turgenev residential complex was built, which Servit still presents among its realized projects.

After the first phase of Turgenev, developers began moving toward the site with the estate. In 2020 year, Volodymyr Besaga received urban planning conditions for adjacent development, and in 2024, the Kyiv City State Administration issued urban planning conditions for the reconstruction of the estate itself.

Work around it began earlier as well, but after the public attention, they managed to stop them. And in 19 July 2024 year the estate was demolished. Only after that Kyiv’s mayor called the demolition a “brazen provocation,” vowed to sue the developer and demand the restoration of the estate.

Earlier, in 2018 year, Kyiv City State Administration deputy head Vyacheslav Nepop noted both Besaga brothers on his Facebook page.

In 2018 year, Kyiv City State Administration deputy head Vyacheslav Nepop notes both Besaga brothers on his Facebook page / hromadske

We also found a photo where nearby are Viktor Besaga, Kyiv’s chief architect Oleksandr Svistunov, former deputy head of KCSA who oversaw land, urban planning and architecture, Oleksandr Spasybko, and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Oleksandr Svistunov, Oleksandr Spasybko, Viktor Besaga, Vitali Klitschko / hromadske

Thus, more than a billion hryvnias were obtained by a company that was literally fully re‑registered just before the contracts: new owner, director, address and profile. The new director Oleksandr Vitovsky had never before worked as a director or been in business. The new beneficiary Oleksandr Chikal had only recently worked as a driver. And his connections lead to the Besaga brothers and Servit’s structures, known for construction in central Kyiv.

All this happened against the backdrop of protests in Teremky, where people tried to stop tree cutting and demanded the city explain the grounds for works and why an alternative route was not chosen.

Author: Inna Popovych, investigative journalist

Source: / hromadske