Igor Nikonov has long been involved in more than just residential development—his name is increasingly associated with the development of Kyiv's most valuable land. His company, KAN Development, is also involved in the construction of residential complexes.
Igor Nikonov and Vitali Klitschko
After serving as the first deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration and as an advisor to Vitali Klitschko, KAN Development became one of the capital's largest developers, gaining control over dozens of hectares of historic land and the city's most valuable properties.
Today, archaeological sites, historic sites, and Kyiv's central neighborhoods are being targeted for development, while the city's transportation, social, and utility infrastructure can no longer cope with the strain. Traffic jams, overloaded networks, a shortage of space in schools and kindergartens, and the loss of the historic environment are the price Kyiv residents pay daily for the capital's chaotic development.
The most high-profile example is the Kitaiv Archaeological Complex. The Kyiv City Council renewed leases for five land plots totaling over 70 hectares, including nearly 22 hectares in Kitaiv, over 23 hectares in Samburky, approximately 10 hectares in the Bolharske tract, and two more plots totaling over 5 hectares. The formal lessee is Kyiv Vegetable Factory PJSC, but KAN Development openly declares its participation in the project and has subleased the land. Plans call for the construction of over 40 residential units here, even though a significant portion of the land is designated as a national archaeological site.
Meanwhile, the Kyiv Vegetable Factory, which is associated with Nikonov, is seeking to overturn Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 863, which clarified the boundaries of the Kitaevsky Archaeological Complex and enhanced its protected status, through the courts. The lawsuit also demands that the state be prohibited from developing protective documentation for the monument. While the prosecutor's office is attempting to return the land to the state, the developer is seeking to overturn the legal restrictions preventing development on the historic site.
Nikonov's claims that archaeological excavations can be financed at his expense are particularly cynical. In fact, Kitaev has been studied for over a hundred years. It was here that a Byzantine amphora with silver torcs from the 11th-12th centuries, an ancient Russian settlement, a cave complex, a burial mound, and hundreds of other artifacts were discovered, all of which are already on display at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine. Furthermore, prosecutors discovered 14 forged documents in the archaeological survey materials commissioned by the developer.
Kitaev is far from the only controversial KAN Development project. Garage cooperatives were demolished during the construction of Faina Town, Comfort Town was criticized for years for developing an industrial area and problems with utility lines, and in Respublika, the developer effectively blocked the public access to the Respublika Park shopping center, as stipulated in the city planning documents, turning communal land into private space. These are no longer isolated incidents, but an established model of operations in which public interests take second place to commercial development.
Another illustrative example is the Stolichny office and hotel complex at 5 Khreshchatyk and 4-B Hrushevsky Street. Through GRAAL LLC and the ARS CAPITAL Foundation, Nikonov and others gained control of the site, located in Kyiv's historic district and a UNESCO buffer zone. In 2021, the Kyiv City Council extended the land lease, and in 2024, GIAM issued a construction permit, although the project remained frozen for years due to its controversial legal status, urban planning restrictions, and risks of violating cultural heritage protection laws.
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The greatest risk in this situation lies not with the developers, but with the people who buy apartments or invest in such projects. If a court finds the land transfer illegal or revokes leases or permits, construction may be halted, and commissioning of the projects will become impossible. Buyers will be left with unfinished construction, court cases, and years of fighting for their own funds. While the government, developers, and large business groups are dividing up historic Kyiv, all the risks are traditionally shifted to investors.
Skelet.Org
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