Recently, Roshen sent a representative to Boryspil with a story about what local residents can expect following the construction of a biscuit factory in the city. However, the representative of the Presidential company tactfully remained silent about how many millions the city treasury will receive and what social obligations the factory is prepared to fulfill. Meanwhile, tomorrow, city councilors will make another land decision for the investor, bypassing the standard auction procedure.
As reported by a KV correspondent, on January 25, a meeting of the public council of the Boryspil City Executive Committee, activists, and local council members took place in the city, where the construction of a biscuit factory by the Roshen company was raised.
Konstantin Piven, Director of Roshen Biscuit Factory LLC, also arrived at the event to present the project being developed for the construction of a new factory.
The investor assured Boryspil residents that they would benefit from the land grant: the biscuit factory would create over a thousand jobs and generate generous contributions to the city treasury. Furthermore, Roshen plans to restore the city's water supply system and even assume certain social obligations. However, he was unable to specify the specific financial benefits Boryspil would receive from the factory.
Nevertheless, the public council adopted a declarative decision: to approve the company's representatives' intentions to construct the complex and recommend the adoption of a detailed site plan at the City Council session on December 28. Without this plan, the company will not receive urban development conditions.
As a reminder, on September 20th of last year, deputies passed a resolution allocating land to the local municipal enterprise "Production Department of Public Utilities," which then subleased it to a biscuit factory.
Poroshenko's "Messenger"
As the company's CEO, Konstantin Piven, noted during the meeting, the factory construction project is not yet ready, so he cannot name the amounts that will go to the city or promise anything on behalf of Roshen.
"The construction project is currently in its rough form, so it's too early to discuss any specific guarantees the company will provide to the city. However, we are committed to implementing this project in the most profitable way possible for all parties. We're already discussing the creation of approximately 1200 new jobs with a payroll fund of 10 million hryvnias. At the current stage of tax legislation development, contributions to the city from this fund amount to approximately 22%. Furthermore, while fulfilling the technical specifications, the company intends to restore the city's water supply system. In the future, it plans to implement some social projects," the CEO of Roshen Biscuit Factory LLC noted during the meeting.
Konstantin Piven, CEO of Borspol's Roshen
Presentation of the future plant project
According to him, the current planned amount for fulfilling technical specifications is UAH 130 million.
"This is the money that Roshen intends to spend on reconstructing roads, water supply systems, gas pipelines that run along the site, etc.," noted the biscuit factory's general director.
According to Konstantin Pivnya, the company is currently most interested in the lands of Boryspil, although there are some "backup" options in other areas.
"The company doesn't officially declare this, but it does intend to fulfill its social obligations to the city's residents. I can't provide any specifics right now. If Boryspil refuses, we will look for another investment option. However, at this stage, we are ready to cooperate with the Boryspil community, and if residents have any proposals on social issues, the company is ready to accept them in a legally sound manner," concluded Konstantin Piven.
Puss in the bag
The local community was not particularly pleased with the presentation of the rough draft. Specifically, the Boryspil residents were missing figures and guarantees—how much the city would initially receive with Roshen's entry, how much it would receive monthly, and whether the promised jobs would be provided to Boryspil residents, rather than to "outsiders" from the capital.
The city's ecology also became a topic of discussion. For example, those present expressed concerns about problems with the city's wastewater system. However, Oleksandr Ganush, director of the city's water utility, noted that his organization had already issued technical specifications to Roshen, and there was no cause for concern for Boryspil residents.
"Constructing the plant and the company's compliance with the technical specifications poses no harm to the water utility. Moreover, the city could receive many benefits from it. For example, restoration of the water pipeline in the Promenya area, SUM-17, and to Martusovka. And if the company does something wrong, it wouldn't take much to disconnect it from the water and sewerage systems," assured Alexander Ganush.
Director of the Boryspil Water Utility, Alexander Ganush
As Radical Party City Council member Oleg Romanov noted during the meeting, this time Roshen arrived to develop Boryspil with different promises than it made in September.
Oleg Romanov
"The company's representative provided very little information to support the deputies' decision. Moreover, the previously announced amount of 130 million hryvnias was initially described as a contribution to the city's development. Now, this amount is being interpreted as the cost of fulfilling technical specifications. This refers to the work the company is doing for itself to ensure the plant can operate properly. People are not opposed to a new investor, but we want to discuss specific figures—how many millions the city will receive from this initial sum," stated Oleg Romanov.
His "radical" ally Yaroslav Godunok declared that he does not accept the president's business in Boryspil, assuring the public that the mayor's office leadership has long since "sold and given away" everything, and that the issue of land allocation is now a formality.
Yaroslav Godunok
"Why can't our president take the land through auction? I'm not against businesses and investments, I'm against these methods. The deputies who make the decision must bear the consequences. Just look at how Roshen operates in Yagotin, for example... How much they've built there, what the salaries are like (3500 hryvnias), how they torture people at work. I won't vote for this because they're making me out to be a 'sucker.' And no amount of 'approval', like the ones they use to pressure the deputies here, will work," Godunok declared.
Past experience
Nevertheless, the meeting participants agreed that the lack of investment must be resolved immediately.
Vladimir Shalimov
"Over the past twelve years, not a single investor of this magnitude has come to us. Well, let's kick him out, and then we'll be kicking ourselves again," Vladimir Shalimov, a Boryspil City Council member from the "Our Region" party, remarked during the meeting.
Self-Reliance MP Ilya Lutsiv recounted how Boryspil once rejected Coca-Cola, which successfully migrated to another district in the Kyiv region.
Ilya Lutsiv
"Today, this company operates in Velyka Dymerka, a village in the Brovarsky district. And the village is developing, and local residents are becoming more prosperous. I agree that there are certain risks, and the company faces many questions. But if any inaccuracies arise in the future project, we will protest. But today, our city needs money," noted Ilya Lutsiv.
Curiously, the Boryspil City Council is shifting the issue of building a new Roshen store from a business-related matter to a political one. Specifically, among those opposed to the land transfer to the biscuit factory, there's a widespread belief that the Boryspil mayor and his entourage are lobbying for this issue solely to curry favor with Bankova, while ignoring the city's interests.
Meanwhile, those in the mayor's entourage are hinting at the political interests of their opponents. Specifically, an anonymous source in the Boryspil City Council leadership told KV about certain plans among the Radical Party's "higher-ups" to sabotage land decisions regarding Roshen issues in every possible way.
"Many in our parliament are aware of Yaroslav Godunok's conversation with party leader Oleh Lyashko. He told Lyashko that Roshen is taking the land here for free and has no plans to give the city anything in return. And Lyashko told him to keep his cool... Although, time and events will tell how true this is. However, Thursday's session won't be without controversy," an anonymous source concluded to KV.
KV's editorial team is following the developments in Boryspil regarding the land allocation to the biscuit factory.
It should be noted that, contrary to the promised transfer to a "blind trust," the current owner of the majority share and ultimate beneficiary is Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
Data from the State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs and Public Organizations
The main photo is taken from open sources.
Oksana Melnik, KyivVlast
Subscribe to our channels in Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, VC — Only new faces from the section CRYPT!