Former unofficial curator of Ukraine’s national «Great Construction» program Yuriy Holyk may be involved in lobbying for a state initiative to build veterans’ support centers marked by inflated cost estimates and anti-competitive tenders. According to an investigation by investigative journalists, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs launched a project to construct 22 standardized spaces worth UAH 1.55 billion, a process accompanied by rushed technical evaluations and single-bidder procurement.
The Ministry of Veterans Affairs initiative outlines the construction of standardized single-story facilities covering 1,500 square meters, with each building estimated at approximately UAH 75 million. Over time, the nationwide program could expand to 160 facilities with a total budget reaching UAH 12 billion.
Journalists uncovered multiple procedural irregularities. In Lutsk, local authorities allocated land for construction three weeks before the official government decree was passed. Furthermore, technical reviews by LLC «UK Ekspertiza» and LLC «Nova-Ekspert» were completed in under a month per project. In all initial tenders, only a single contractor participated and won, while material costs in the submitted estimates were significantly inflated.
«The shift from managing commercial co-working spaces to tapping into multi-billion state infrastructure programs coincides with a severe financial decline in the former official’s private business assets,» investigators note.
Analysts link Holyk’s interest in state-funded veteran projects to the deteriorating financial health of his commercial ventures in Ukraine. His 25% stake in LLC «Kreatyvna Krayina» saw its net profits collapse from UAH 10.2 million down to UAH 588,000.
Another connected entity, LLC «Kreatyvnyy Shtat HULLIVER» (in which Holyk holds a 10% indirect stake), has entered bankruptcy proceedings. One co-owner has filed a lawsuit against the other founders over an unpaid debt amounting to UAH 10.4 million.
Yuriy Holyk’s name has previously surfaced in high-profile law enforcement probes. These include the UAH 7.7 billion Kryvyi Rih water pipeline project—initiated after the Kakhovka Dam destruction—where investigators estimate potential overcharges of up to UAH 3 billion.
Additionally, Holyk figures in a case regarding the leak of pre-trial investigation data from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), as well as an investigation into LLC «Budinvest Engineering,» which received UAH 1.5 billion in road repair contracts from the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration.