A criminal investigation has been launched in the Mykolaiv region over the construction of a shelter for the Mykhailivka Lyceum at a cost of ₴46.6 million

Mykhailivka Lyceum. Photo: Google Photos

In the Mykolaiv region, a contractor is being sought for the second time to build a radiation shelter for the Mykhailivka Lyceum. A criminal case has now been opened in connection with the previous tender, worth 46.6 million hryvnias.

This is evidenced by procurement data in the Prozorro system, according to NikVesti.

It should be noted that parents had already spoken of the urgent need to build a shelter at the lyceum in the village of Mykhailivka back in 2023. At that time, the school had 210 pupils.

In May 2025, the education department of the Stepove village council appointed «Nikopolska-STK» LLC as the contractor for the construction of the shelter for the Mykhailivka Lyceum. The procurement was carried out as part of the Ukraine Plan under the Ukraine Facility programme, which is funded by the European Union.

The grounds of the Mykhailivka Lyceum. Photo from the Dream platform

Three companies took part in the tender. Two of them offered lower prices, but the contracting authority rejected both bids, citing non-compliance with the technical specifications.

Three companies took part in the tender. Screenshot from the Prozorro system

In August 2025, the parties signed a contract worth 46.6 million hryvnias. The majority of the sum — 39.1 million hryvnias — was funded by a grant from the state budget, which is financed by the European Union. A further 7.5 million hryvnias was allocated from the local budget.

However, the educational institution did not receive the shelter. The contractor began work but suspended it in January 2026. This was confirmed by representatives of the technical and design supervision teams during a joint meeting.

As of the end of May 2026, the shelter was only partially complete. The client paid 10.77 million hryvnias for the work actually carried out, which represents 23.09 per cent of the total contract value. At the same time, only 17.66 per cent of the planned construction work had been completed.

Minutes No. 155 on the unilateral termination (cancellation) of the contract

Consequently, the Education Department of the Stepove Village Council unilaterally terminated the contract with effect from 1 June 2026.

Law enforcement officers also became involved in investigating the circumstances and, on 19 June 2026, carried out a search of the Education Department’s offices in Mykhailivka. During the search, they seized documents relating to the construction of a shelter for the local lyceum. This is evidenced by details from the ruling of the Vitovskyi District Court.

The prosecutor from the Mykolaiv Specialised Prosecutor’s Office for Defence in the Southern Region applied to the court to have the seized materials seized. The court granted the application in order to preserve the documents as potential material evidence.

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The items seized included, in particular, the original construction contract, cost estimates, certificates of completion for September, October and December 2025 and February 2026, payment documents, invoices, work notebooks containing draft notes and correspondence regarding the construction of the shelter.

The owners of the documents were prohibited from using or disposing of them. The pre-trial investigation into the case is ongoing.

Despite this, on 4 September 2026, the education department of the Stepove Village Council announced a new, revised tender for the construction of a shelter at the Mykhailivka Lyceum. The estimated cost is 52,379,462 hryvnias.

Screenshot of the newly announced tender from the Prozorro system,

For 2026, 36.48 million hryvnias have been earmarked for the construction of the shelter. Of this amount, 30.58 million hryvnias are to come from the state budget, with a further 5.9 million hryvnias from the local budget of the Stepove community. In addition, the documentation specifies a further 26.37 million hryvnias in indicative funding for 2027 – to be provided from the state and local budgets or other sources permitted by law.

Participants are currently submitting their bids, after which a winner will be selected. All construction work must be completed by 30 April 2027.

As a reminder, in May 2026, the Nova Odesa City Council approved a plan to optimise educational institutions for 2026–2027, under which schools and nurseries in Nova Odesa are being merged, whilst some institutions are being closed down.