Courts in Lviv and Kyiv have ordered the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to open criminal proceedings against the newly appointed Minister of Infrastructure, Mykola Kalashnyk, over allegations of large-scale corruption schemes in the Kyiv region. The official, who previously headed the Kyiv Regional Military Administration (OVA), is suspected of money laundering, abuse of power, and bribery. According to case materials, the total damages incurred during the reconstruction of the region’s infrastructure exceed 1 billion UAH.
Law enforcement agencies will launch an official investigation into the activities of the former Kyiv regional chief following explicit court mandates. In Lviv, Investigating Judge Tsypivko of the Lychakivskyi District Court (case No. 463/5665/26) ruled the DBR’s inaction unlawful and ordered the bureau to immediately initiate a pre-trial investigation.
Concurrently, the Solomianskyi District Court of Kyiv sustained a similar complaint regarding the SBU. In a ruling dated June 26, 2026 (case No. 760/18007/26), Judge Bukina ordered the security service to enter information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations (ERDR) regarding systematic bribery and misappropriation of public funds.
In media and political circles, Kalashnyk’s career advancement is widely linked to the patronage of Oleksiy Kuleba, with whom he has shared mutual interests since their tenure at the Darnytsia District State Administration (RDA).
According to the case files, the corruption vertical within the Kyiv OVA spanned several major infrastructure projects in war-affected districts:
Reconstruction of the «Barvinok» Kindergarten in Bilohorodka: The project’s projected cost artificially surged from 161.62 million to 199.4 million UAH after four separate tender attempts. Overpayment driven by inflated prices for construction materials reached 60 million UAH.
Restoration of Rudka Park in Borodyanka: The OVA leadership, in collusion with the Department of Regional Development, allegedly tailored discriminatory requirements in the Prozorro procurement system to benefit a select pool of companies. Among those listed are LLC «Automagistral-Pivden», LLC BK «Khortis», LLC «OKSI-K», and KP «Blahoustrii-Borodyanka».
Fortifications and Housing Construction: The most extensive embezzlement was uncovered during the construction of the region’s protective infrastructure. An organized group led by Kalashnyk is suspected of misappropriating over 1.09 billion UAH. Notably, reconstruction contracts for Tsentralna Street in Borodyanka were bypassed through open bidding and awarded directly to LLC «Treст KMB-3» and LLC «BMBUD», which received an additional 61.9 million UAH at the end of the year without public tenders.
At the time of publication, neither the individuals implicated in the case nor the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine have issued comments regarding the court-ordered criminal investigations.