This problem hasn't bypassed Ukraine's capital either. Kyiv has been swamped with garbage lately, and Kyivspetstrans isn't even thinking about removing the mountains of household waste from courtyards and parks. Considering it's warm outside, one can only imagine the appalling unsanitary conditions, not to mention the rather peculiar smell hanging over the Ukrainian capital. So why has the company responsible for waste removal become so incompetent in its duties? To find out, we need to figure out who benefits from the stench over Kyiv.
It's well-known that waste can be a lucrative business. It's a complex service, encompassing waste removal, recycling, landfill, contracts for the supply of waste containers, and other services, all of which officials can easily inflate in price, ultimately turning a profit. It's a goldmine, if you approach it wisely.
Back in 2012, Yulia Lyovochkina, the sister of former head of the Yanukovych administration, Serhiy Lyovochkin, a member of parliament, attempted to initiate the adoption of an interesting law that would transfer control over the final and primary waste management operations—recycling and disposal—to the National Commission for State Regulation of Public Utilities, which, in turn, is appointed by the President of Ukraine. The commission would report to the President and be accountable only to the Verkhovna Rada. The setting of waste management tariffs would be entirely under the control of the head of state. However, the law was never passed.
Currently, the municipal waste management tariff is set as follows: the local council holds a tender to select a single waste removal service provider, which will handle all waste management operations—collection, storage, transportation, recycling, and disposal (either independently or through subcontractors). The council may choose a single provider for the entire area or divide the community into sectors and assign separate providers for each sector. This is all done through a competitive process. The council's executive committee determines the tariff for services based on the provider's justified costs and profitability.
In short, Yulia Levochkina's actions two years ago were entirely logical. Under the pretext of bringing domestic legislation into line with European standards (Levochkina is a member of the Committee on European Integration), the sister of Yanukovych's former head of administration wanted to hand over "junk" money to the right people. Even during the bill's review, the Verkhovna Rada's Main Legal Department gave it a negative expert assessment, suggesting that deputies not support the document.
But this setback didn't stop Levochkina from finding a way to profit from the garbage business. In 2013, officials close to the Levochkin family gained control of Kyivspetstrans, which handles waste removal in Kyiv.
Specifically, 51% of the company's shares are owned by Kyiv, and 46% by Geotron LLC. The company's governing body is the supervisory board. Last summer, four of the five members of the supervisory board were associated with the Levochkin family.
The chairman of the supervisory board is Arseniy Novikov, Levochkina's ex-husband. Interestingly, according to the documents, he is listed as a representative of Spetskomuntrans LLC, a company that owns 0,065% (!) of the municipal enterprise. However, this didn't prevent Novikov from receiving the position, which is unsurprising given his patronage.
Boris Tur, who replaced Levochkina as head of the supervisory board of the Mykolaiv Grain Products Plant, joined the supervisory board. Two other supervisory board members are associated with Novikov: Oleh Shevchenko worked with him at Naftogaz, and Vasyl Garchuk is the director of Spetskomuntrans, which nominated Levochkina's ex-husband to chair the supervisory board. The fifth board member, Petro Andrushchenko, also represents Geotron LLC.
It's worth noting that not a single representative of the Kyiv City Council sits on the supervisory board of Kyivspetstrans. All representatives represent either Spetskomuntrans or Geotron, the company that owns 46% of the utility.
So why have Kyivspetstrans and Spetskomuntrans stopped collecting trash? Over the summer, Kyiv residents repeatedly complained that the city was turning into a garbage dump, with city parks literally littered with waste. The alleys were littered with overflowing trash bins, and the lawns were littered with construction debris. This situation arose in Victory Park, Otradnoye, and Nyvky. Cleaning problems exist in virtually all green spaces in the capital, and beyond. Picnic season has exacerbated the problem.
Just today, it became known that garbage collection from the Osokorky dachas has stopped. This was reported by Kyiv City Council member Tatyana Melikhova from Batkivshchyna.
"Waste disposal in Kyiv has always been a problem, but what's happening today, as seen in Osokorky, is beyond all reasonable expectations. Now, the city's responsibility for waste disposal has fallen squarely on the shoulders of the residents of this suburban area," Melikhova complained.
According to her, residents of Osokorki take their waste out in their cars and dump it in the trash bins of nearby residential buildings, causing them to instantly overflow, creating a stench and unsanitary conditions around the houses.
Melikhova demanded that Mayor Vitali Klitschko find and punish the culprit behind the problem.
Now the question is: does Klitschko know the culprit's name? And if he does, why isn't he taking any action? Is it because he can't offend his sponsor? Everyone has long known that Kyiv is effectively run by Serhiy Lyovochkin, who has influence over Klitschko and finances his UDAR party. Lyovochkin also has close ties with Klitschko's first deputy, millionaire Igor Nikonov. Apparently, the management of Spetskomuntrans literally fouled the air in Kyiv to put pressure on the Kyiv authorities and secure certain preferences—like contracts. After the change of power, "winning" tenders has become less easy; competitors have emerged. Furthermore, inflating the prices of goods and services carries the risk of criminal prosecution. Therefore, the company is drowning Kyiv in garbage. For UDAR and personally for Vitali Klitschko, who headed the joint electoral list with the Petro Poroshenko Bloc in the parliamentary elections, any outrage from Kyiv residents is currently unprofitable. Residents of the capital are particularly sensitive to questions regarding the Musov, and will rip out all the Kyiv City State Administration phone lines. Apparently, the Lyovochkins are counting on the Kyiv authorities not wanting to bury their approval ratings in a garbage dump and will accommodate the overweening businessmen.
Special Correspondent
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