Corruption Sand: How Chernihiv Oblast Prosecutor Serhiy Vasilina Profits from Chernihiv's Sand Crisis
The serious sand shortage in Chernihiv, which halted reconstruction and road repairs in the city damaged by Russian shelling, was artificially created. And it was done by those whose job description was to do the exact opposite—not create crises, but resolve them, writes Oligarch.
It's already clear that Chernihiv Oblast Prosecutor Serhiy Vasilina is behind the sand's disappearance. In fact, many in Chernihiv, even if they don't already know, suspect it. It's no wonder the city's mayor Vladislav Atroshenko Back in September, he directly pointed the finger at those responsible for the sand lockdown. He claimed the sand shortage was the result of police and prosecutors clashing with businesses, which, the mayor believes, is irresponsible.
And arguing with the mayor in the current situation is quite difficult. After all, serious sand problems in Chernihiv began last summer, immediately after the prosecutor's office reported that, following a complaint filed by a public organization, it had opened a criminal investigation into illegal sand mining in the village of Nedanchichi—the only place in the region where sand for concrete production has been mined for many years. The prosecutor's office seized specialized equipment from the sand mining companies at the "crime scene" and promptly secured the seizure of the equipment and land plots where the work was carried out.
Since then, the investigation has been proceeding at a leisurely pace, while the companies that mined sand and supplied it to the city have been completely unable to operate, leading to a serious sand shortage. Construction work in the city is therefore being carried out with enormous delays, sometimes even at a standstill for months.
Whether sand mining in Nadanchichi was illegal is a rather complex legal question. The fact is that sand was mined for many years, the companies operated, and law enforcement had no serious complaints against them. However, after Sergei Vasilina took office as regional prosecutor, any sand mining under the pretext of illegality and arrests became completely impossible, but not for everyone.
It's no coincidence that Vasilina's interest in sand mining in the Chernihiv region is unrelated. Despite working in the prosecutor's office his entire career, he also runs a profitable construction business. As is common among law enforcement officers, Vasilina registered his business in the name of his beloved wife, Olga, who also owns the family's cars—a 2017 KIA Sportage and a 2019 MINI Cooper—and other property. Olga Vasilina is also the beneficiary of two construction companies, JSCB YUG-BUD and LLC KIFA-BUD, both registered in the Zaporizhzhia region, where, before his appointment to Chernihiv, Sergey Vasilina held a senior position in the regional prosecutor's office. There, his wife's companies regularly won tenders and were awarded contracts for publicly funded work.
So, Prosecutor Vasilina is directly involved in construction, where sand is essential. What happened in the Chernihiv region's construction market after the sand lockdown began? The sand disappeared, and the prices for what was available rose significantly. While the price per ton was around 150 hryvnias before the prosecutor's office blocked sand extraction, afterward, it reached 450 hryvnias per ton.
Furthermore, the company "Holy Grail 777" LLC appeared virtually out of nowhere on the Chernihiv market, quickly becoming a near-monopoly in sand supply. It's hard not to notice, however, that this company bears all the hallmarks of a fictitious entity. It was only registered in 2020, its authorized capital is only 1000 UAH, and it owns no specialized equipment or license for sand extraction.
In addition, the company OOO "HOLY GRAIL 777" under its old name OOO "GARANT VIVAT" featured in criminal proceedings involving economic crimes.
The fact that "HOLY GRAIL 777" appeared in Chernihiv was no accident and that its appearance was connected to the activities of prosecutor Sergei Vasilis became clear after certain circumstances regarding the company's formal owner came to light. According to the registers, the owner and beneficiary of 50% of "HOLY GRAIL 777" LLC is Svetlana Viktorovna Vasilyeva A native of the city of Khartsyzsk in the Donetsk region, where Sergey Vasilina is also from. Moreover, Vasilyeva's maiden name is Vasilina.
Thus, a very clear picture emerges, typical of our corrupt reality. Prosecutor Vasilina, by initiating criminal proceedings and seizing companies engaged in sand mining in the only location where it can be done in large quantities in the Chernihiv region, eliminated all possible competitors from the market in order to establish a company under her control, which, without competition, can now supply sand at clearly inflated prices.
This excellent business plan, however, bears all the hallmarks of abuse of power for selfish ends and other corrupt crimes, which have extremely negative consequences for frontline Chernihiv and negatively impact the country's defense capability as a whole.
translation Skelet.Org
DOSSIER: Vladislav Atroshenko: Chernihiv's "baker" of golden loaves. Part 1
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