Ukrainian presidents have always tried to become presidents of Ukrainian roads. They promised to modernize and repair, scolded their predecessors for the years of destruction and opened the built-up areas under the cameras.
Vladimir Zelensky was no exception. He also promised, scolded and opened. And with skill he turned the old principle into a new project. Not only construction, but also PR.
The Presidential program “Big Construction” promises Ukrainians thousands of kilometers of roads. It is illustrated by photo reports, high-profile headlines and traditional for all the “old” authorities in Ukraine visits of the new head of state to repair sites.
You can find out about funding from the state budget only at the bottom of the official page of the program. The contribution of every citizen is publicly absorbed by Zelensky’s brand.
In September of this year, a petition even appeared on the president’s website, the authors of which asked officials to add a postscript “at the expense of taxpayers” when they talk about a particular construction as their own achievement.
For the second year in a row, the government is increasing the financial flows of Ukravtodor, which in plans for 2022 reached a record 125 billion hryvnias. Together with the expenses of local authorities for road repairs, the amount exceeds 10% of the total state budget. This is comparable to the budget of the Ministry of Defense, which is 131 billion.
Who became the favorites of the main state project of Zelensky’s time?
“Ukrainian Truth” analyzed the tenders and formed a rating of the 10 largest contractors of “Big Construction”.
In the process of preparing this material, we asked for a comment from the curator of “Big Construction”, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Kirill Tymoshenko. At first he agreed to answer the question, but never got in touch.
A pioneer leader
Odessa businessman Alexander Boyko has not shone in this business for a decade and a half. But in the spring of 2021 he received official permission from the Antimonopoly Committee to control Avtomagistral-Yug.
He is also the vice president of the National Association of Road Workers of Ukraine. It was created at the end of 2019 by the future favorites of the “Big Construction” – participants in this rating – simultaneously with the appointment of Alexander Kubrakov, the current Minister of Infrastructure, head of Ukravtodor.
Dnipropetrovsk region played a big role in the company’s development. During the presidency of Petro Poroshenko, most of the money for road repairs went to this area. Andrei Pavelko, the then chairman of the budget committee of the Verkhovna Rada and now the president of the Ukrainian Football Association, came from it.
In turn, local governor Valentin Reznichenko and his adviser Yuri Golyk used the repair of local roads for popularity. Then, in 2017-2019, the scenario of “Big Construction” was actually tested – a large-scale repair with funds from the pockets of Ukrainians and PR of the very fact that loses attention to costs.
According to interlocutors in the market, Boyko maintained relations with Yuri Golyk. The latter became a consultant for “Big Construction” in 2019. And when Kirill Tymoshenko took care of the presidential project, it was Golyk who got the role of public promoter of the project.
The company’s leadership was made possible by a cartel, a group of monopolists whose conditions were lobbied by the authorities.
In 2019, the mono majority allowed to admit to bidding only the bidder whose annual income was not less than the size of the announced tender. At the same time, Ukravtodor significantly “enlarged” purchases, due to which the largest contracts began to reach billions of hryvnia.
Thus, participation in large tenders was legalized for only a few companies. The leader among them was Avtomagistral-Yug.
At the same time, these tenders do not publish estimates, which show an overstatement of prices for construction materials. According to journalists, it can reach from 20% to 30% of the tender size.
https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/articles/2021/10/28/7311921/
