The «Iskra» building in Mykolaiv has not been inspected since 2019: no funds were allocated for emergency repairs, but security costs were covered

In May, part of the façade of the abandoned «Iskra» cinema in Mykolaiv collapsed. Photo: NikVesti

The building of the former «Iskra» cinema in Mykolaiv was last subject to a documented inspection back in 2019. No specialist technical inspection of the building was carried out, nor were funds allocated for emergency repair work.

This is stated in a response from the Department of Culture, Nationalities and Religions of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration to an information request from NikVesti.

The building of the former «Iskra» cinema was transferred to the joint ownership of the local authorities of Mykolaiv Oblast in 2012. It was assigned to the Mykolaiv Regional Philharmonic Society with plans to renovate the premises and establish the institution there.

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Between 2012 and 2015, the right to use the land plot was formalised for this purpose, engineering and geological surveys were carried out, design and cost estimate documentation was drawn up, and the renovation concept was considered. However, the project could not be implemented due to a lack of funding.

As noted by the Department of Culture, no specialised technical survey of the building was carried out subsequently.

«A specialised technical survey of the building in accordance with the requirements of construction legislation was not carried out. The most recent documented measure regarding the assessment of the property’s condition is the report on the inspection of the preservation and effective use of jointly owned property of the territorial communities of villages, settlements and towns in Mykolaiv region, approved on 20 May 2019,» the response to the enquiry states.

The report on the building’s condition stated that, due to a leaking roof, the ceiling had collapsed and the ground floor had been damaged. On the first and second floors, windows and doors had been smashed. The premises were littered with household and construction rubble and broken glass. The glass elements of the metal structures in the lobby, as well as the walls and floor, were also damaged. The cladding on the façade above the main entrance was partially destroyed, and the paving was almost entirely missing.

Screenshot of the building inspection report from 2019

Screenshot of the 2019 building inspection report

Based on the results of the visual inspection, the commission concluded that the building was in an extremely poor technical condition.

«Since the aforementioned inspection took place, the technical condition of the building has objectively deteriorated as a result of the prolonged absence of major repairs, the impact of natural factors and the consequences of the Russian Federation’s armed aggression, including regular rocket and drone attacks on the city of Mykolaiv,» the letter states.

Despite the problems identified as far back as 2019, no decision was taken to carry out urgent emergency or maintenance work. The Department of Culture noted that there were no financial resources available for such work.

At the same time, between 2023 and 2025, funds were spent on security for the building. According to the regional philharmonic society, the following amounts were allocated for this purpose:

• in 2023 — 240,9 thousand hryvnias;
• in 2024 — 244,000 hryvnias;
• in 2025 — 245,100 hryvnias;
• 301,800 hryvnias have been budgeted for 2026.

In addition, this spring, following the collapse of part of the façade, specialists from the State Emergency Service were dispatched to the building. They dismantled the unstable sections of the façade and other structures that were at risk of collapsing. The complex’s grounds have also been cordoned off with a metal fence, and the building itself remains under security guard.

At present, no final decision has been made regarding the building’s future. In July 2026, the Department of Culture approached the Department of Economic Development and Regional Policy of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration with a proposal to help find an investor for the restoration and future use of the complex.

«In the Department’s view, attracting a potential investor is the most realistic way to preserve the building, restore it and ensure its effective future use,» the response states.

It should be recalled that Vitalii Kim stated during his final press conference as head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration that he considered the reconstruction of the ‘Iskra’ cinema to be one of the projects that had never been successfully implemented.

The «Iskra» cinema in Mykolaiv

The «Iskra» cinema was transferred from the city’s ownership to the Mykolaiv Regional Philharmonic Society in 2012. The authorities at the time promised that within a few years they would rebuild the cinema to meet the needs of the Philharmonic, which had been managing the facility’s operational matters for years; however, to this day, the «Iskra» has not become a «home» for musicians.

In 2019, Mayor Oleksandra Sienkevych stated that Mykolaiv would accept «Iskra» into municipal ownership if the region renovated the building.

Some councillors, such as Ihor Diatlov, expressed a desire to purchase the property, which at the time the chair of the Mykolaiv Regional Council, Viktoriia Moskalenko, was offering to sell for just 197,000 hryvnias. Diatlov offered 400,000 hryvnias for the property, with a view to transferring it to municipal ownership and turning it into a leisure centre.

Tahir Sadridinov was also prepared to invest his own funds; he proposed either granting the building under concession or creating a comprehensive development programme to restore ‘Iskra’ as part of the redevelopment of Lisky Park. However, none of these options was implemented.

In May 2021, Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, raised the issue of the cinema and announced the possibility of transferring the property to Mykolaiv, but only after it had been renovated using state funds. Following this, the mayor, Oleksandr Sienkevych, announced plans to build a new two-storey Administrative Services Centre on the site of the former cinema. This initiative could be funded by a USAID grant.

A few months before the war began, there were plans to allocate 700,000 hryvnias from the regional budget for the security of the former ‘Iskra’ cinema building in the Zavodskyi district of Mykolaiv.