The company, implicated in criminal cases and journalist investigations, has kept winning multimillion public procurement contracts on education and civil defense facilities in Kherson oblast.
Ukrainian LLC «Nikopolska-STK» already received guilty verdict and has been subject of a number of criminal and administrative cases as well as journalist investigations. It has a number of objects not completed within deadlines and, as an outcome, contracts cancelled by the public procurement units.
However, it has kept winning multimillion public bids. The value of the last one is almost 27 million UAH. It is about reconstruction of the school building for «key kitchen» in Velyka Oleksandrivka Lyceum in Kherson oblast.
Lyceum is the well known Velyka Oleksandrivka Secondary School # 2. Last year it received the status of lyceum. Despite the ongoing war, massive migration and online tuition, not less than 600 pupils have been yearly enrolled into the lyceum. School teams win competitions and tournaments whereas two thirds of its graduates enter higher education institutions. As Director of lyceum Natalia Petryk told the CJI, there were 613 pupils in the lyceum this year, and there were four 11 grade classes (graduate classes). The same number of pupils is expected in the coming year.
Ukrainian public officials and representatives of international organizations have regularly visited the community of Velyka Oleksandrivka. Local authorities have demonstrated them successful renewal of infrastructure and construction of new objects. Velyka Oleksandrivka lyceum has been the «must» point in the program of these visits. Today three large projects with total value of almost 275 million UAH are implemented in the lyceum. One public bid for almost 9 million UAH is waiting for proposals.
Team «Sokolyata» [Falcon chicks] – winners of the 2nd stage of All-Ukrainian Youth Military Patriotic Games «Falcon» («Djura-2026: Galytska Sich»), June 2026. Photo: facebook.com/supperzosh2
Since December 2024, lyceum building has been repaired. Since the end of 2025, protective facilities of civil defense have been constructed. On June 17, 2026, Velyka Oleksandrivka lyceum announced two bids for contracting works in Prozorro public procurement system. The first is about modernization (capital repairing works) of the dining hall. The second is about reconstruction of the building for creating «key kitchen» on the basis of lyceum.
Dining hall, «key kitchen» or fabric?
First, let us define the terms. The reform of school meals, conducted under patronage of the wife of President of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, inter alia, stipulates the replacement of kitchen equipment in schools and kindergartens. The resources for the re-equipment and repairing of school kitchens are provided through transfers from the Ukrainian central budget. In their turn, these money come from EU Ukraine Facility. 2026 budget allocates one billion of UAH for the re-equipment of school kitchens.
The reform drastically changes approaches towards school meals. It plans to implement three innovative technological models:
- Basic kitchen – meals are cooked in schools and kindergartens only for their students and children;
- Key kitchen will cook meals for their students and students of other schools of the city or community where the work of their own kitchens is not economically effective. Ready meals will be delivered to school dining halls within 25 km;
- Kitchen-fabric will cook meals in separate specialized enterprise outside schools under Cook & Chill technology. Meals will be delivered to the large number of schools. Number of meals may reach 10 thousand per day.
The Ministry of Education of Ukraine developed recommendations about the launch of basic kitchens and procurement of necessary kitchen equipment. They provide calculations of how many various equipment and devices are needed for cooking meals for certain number of pupils etc. A number of specialized companies render services on procurement, installation and servicing of the modern equipment. Infographics below are taken from the website of such company.
What model did Velyka Oleksandrivka lyceum choose? It seems the lyceum chose two models at the same time because it announced two bids on reconstruction of existing «basic kitchen» and creation of «key kitchen» on the same day. Director of lyceum Natalia Petryk did not provide us precise answer about the need of two kitchens. As she said, «the government took this decision, not us».
As Natalia Kornienko, the Head of Velyka Oleksandrivka Village Military Administration, told the CJI, «key kitchen» in the lyceum will provide hot meals for pupils in other two schools in the community or even other schools in neighboring communities.
«This «key kitchen» will be able to service not only schools of our community. It is possible that it will provide meals to schools in the neighboring community. It is more comfortable and rational than constructing basic kitchens in each school. It seems like a step in the future», as says Natalia Kornienko.
According to Kherson Oblast Military Administration,10 schools of oblast will receive transfers for repairing \ modernization of their basic kitchens. Two schools are located in Bila Krynytsya and Maka Oleksandrivka. On the other hand, it is expected that «key kitchen» of Velyka Oleksandrivka lyceum will cook meals for these very schools! More to that, Bila Krynytsia gymnasium has already conducted tender on reconstruction of its first floor for basic kitchen (the value is 15 million UAH). It seems very strange. So, we are expecting to receive comments from Kherson Oblast Military Administration and the Ministry of Education of Ukraine in the nearest future about this issue. The CJI is preparing a series of publications on modernization of kitchens within EU Ukraine Facility in Kherson oblast.
Natalia Kornienko, the Head of Velyka Oleksandrivka Village Military Administration in Kherson oblast. Photo: Oleg Baturin \ CJI
It is also clear that any kitchens will not be necessary in the coming tuition year if schools will not introduce offline or mixed format of the tuition. In December 2025, Natalia Kornienko told the CJI that it was expected that at least three schools would switch to offline tuition in 2026:
«We expect that our 1200 pupils in three schools of Bila Krynytsia, Mala and Velyka Oleksandrivka will switch to offline tuition next year. Today our 1500 children are taught online. The school in Bila Krynytsya will also accept children from Mykhailivka, Novopavivka, Bilousove and Karjerne».
In June 2026, the Ministry of Regional Development of Ukraine renewed its List of territories temporary occupied by the Russian Federation or where active fighting was going on. The List included all mentioned settlements. It means that offline tuition there is allowed only under the combination of several factors: availability of certified anti-radiation shelter; the decision of oblast military administration and consent of parents and managers of schools who will take into account the security situation. But the situation is far from being safe. For example, Beryslav district has regularly suffered from Russian rockets and drones, though Russian artillery, located on occupied Left Bank of Dnipro, is not able to hit it anymore. At the beginning of August this year, Maksym, 8 year old lyceum student, and his father were killed by Russian rockets.
Even if the frontline will move to Crimea, Velyka Oleksandrivka lyceum is not ready to launch offline tuition as construction of its shelter has not yet been completed. Mixed format is also doubtful. Kherson Oblast Military Administration has not yet taken its decision.
Natalia Petryk, the Head of Velyka Oleksandrivka Lyceum of Kherson oblast. Photo: Facebook/Наталія Петрик
According to Director of lyceum Natalia Petryk, reconstruction (capital repairing works) o the lyceum building was stopped as there is no money. It must be completed by the end of 2026 by Ukrainian LLC «Ukrbud-Proekt-Reconstructia». More to that, capital repairing works have not been launched.
«Construction workers repaired premises which suffered from Russian shelling: the cabinet on the second floor, corridor and sports hall hit by Russian tank. They replaced systems of heating, water and electricity supply as well as fire alarm. Construction of shelter, implemented by the same company, is nearing the end. Internal works are completed. But I do not want to make any evaluation of these works until their final completion and until we will receive official certification of the Emergency Situation Service of Ukraine and introduction of the object into the exploitation», as explained Natalia Petryk.
Even more questions are raised by the fact that there is virtually no alternative when it comes to selecting a contractor for the renovation of the school building to create a «kitchen kitchen» on the basis of the lyceum. In a situation where there is no line of interested parties for a project offering lucrative contracts but strict operational rules under the Ukraine Facility program—and located in a not-so-safe neighborhood—clients have no choice but to work with whoever comes along. As the saying goes, «Beggars cannot be choosers,» but this is typically where the greatest risks lie.
What we know about general contractor for «key kitchen»?
The procurement was conducted according to the procedure called «open bid with special terms». It allows determining the bid winner even if only one proposal is submitted. Only one company, LLC «Nikopolska-STK», participated in both tenders. This year it changed its legal address from Nikopol to Kyiv.
The tender about capital repairing of basic kitchen was not completed as the proposal of «Nikopolska-STK» was rejected. As bidding protocol says, bid proposal included goods and \ or materials assets from unacceptable countries. Next tender, conducted in one month, was not completed, too. Lyceum announced the third tender on the same works and accepts proposals until August 15, 2026.
After amendment of its bid proposal, «Nikopolska-STK» won the contract on reconstruction of school building for the «key kitchen». Its price proposal has been by 2% less than expected value of the contract. So, total value of reconstruction works reached 26 883 237,18 UAH. The Company signed an agreement as general contractor, with the right to involve qualified sub-contractors. The reconstruction must be completed by the end of 2026. As Natalia Petryk says, dismantling works are now underway.
LLC «Nikopolska-STK» (and related companies) is the family business of Pogan family from Nikopol, Dnipropetrovska oblast. Beneficiaries of the company are Stanislav Vasylyovych Pogan (60% share) and Iryna Sergiivna Pogan, the wife of his son. Alla Stanislavivna Borenko (likely its daughter) has been the director of the company. Oleksandr Pogan, the son of Stanislav Pogan, has been director of LLC «Nikopolska-STK» from 2016 till 2021. Now he is the director of company «Nika-Pobutservis», another company of his father.
Stanislav Pogan, the son of Iryna anf Oleksandr Pogan, has been lawyer of «Nikopolska-STK», director and co-owner of another family company – «Tekhno-Servis Plus». Since 2018, he has applied three times for the position of police detective in Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson Departments of the National Police of Ukraine, in particular, in the unit on protection of economy. The last attempt has been successful. In 2020, Stanislav Pogan-junior disclosed his public asset declaration as the detective of the Department of Strategic Investigations in Kyiv branch of the National Police of Ukraine. Since then, he has been promoted to the position of senior detective on important cases within the Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine. His share in «Tekhno-Servis Plus» has been transferred to his mother. LLC «Nikopolska-STK» «moved» to Kyiv. There was a reason for it.
According to analytical system YouControl, since 2016, «Nikopolska-STK» has received contracts for 938 million UAH. However, the company has earned the largest profit from public bids after the beginning of the Russian full scale invasion into Ukraine. This month the company suddenly received the contract with its value exceeding by two times company’s earnings from public procurement tenders during last ten years! «Nikopolska-STK» won the bid of the Department of Regional Development of Kyiv Oblast State Administration on the construction of drinking water cleaning facilities in Fastiv (its value – 480 million UAH). The tender has been conducted without competition, i.e. through direct contract with the company.
Data of analytical system YouControl about participation of LLC «Nikopolska-STK» in public bids
Company «Nikopolska-STK» has had dubious reputation since the beginning of its existence. In 2016, the company won the contract on reconstruction of basic kitchen in Hola Prystan Central District Hospital in Kherson oblast (its value – 888 thousand UAH). The National Police of Ukraine opened criminal investigation against the company. As Hola Prystan District court ruled later, director of company Oleksandr Stanislavovych Pogan signed acts about non-completed works for the value of almost 110 thousand UAH. He has been imprisoned for two years. On September 1, 2021, the Criminal Court of Cassation within the Supreme Court of Ukraine did not satisfy the appeal and the initial court verdict has been left unchanged.
In 2018, the police launched criminal investigation about reconstruction of Korovyno school in Sumy region. Policemen found out that works, conducted by «Nikopolska-STK» did not correspond to the acts on completion of construction works whereas some works were not completed.
In 2021, the State Audit Service of Ukraine found out that the value of works at the reconstruction of school # 26 in Komyshany were unjustifiably increased by 1,75 million UAH. The police launched another investigation into the activity of «Nikopolska-STK». Policemen revealed signs of inaccurate data in acts on completion of works and collusion deals between representatives of the contractor and local council. Detectives also noted the lack of qualified workers and machines in the company.
Then, the great war and Russian occupation of Kherson oblast happened. Some criminal investigations against «Nikopolska-STK» were closed because their materials were lost on occupied territory. But Ukrainian prosecutors renewed some of them through court procedures after the liberation of the Right Bank of Kherson oblast. The investigation about reconstruction of the school in Komyshany was re-launched.
The most recent criminal investigation was initiated on June 4, 2026. Detectives of the Main Department of the National Police of Ukraine in Mykolaiv oblast investigate possible collusion deal between public officials of the local community and contractor and misappropriation of budgetary resources during the construction of anti-radiation shelter in Mykhailivka lyceum of Stepivska village council. The value of the contract with «NIkopolska-STK» has been 46,6 million UAH (By the way, in August 2025, journalist project «Our Money» revealed that prices in this contract were unjustifiably increased by almost 2 million UAH).
Three days before the opening of this police investigation,Stepivska village council unilaterally terminated the contract with «Nikopolska-STK». The protocol in Prozorro system indicates that the general contractor was obliged to complete construction of the object by May 31, 2026 but actual completion of construction works reached only 17,66% from the amount stipulated by the contract (or 23,09% by the value of conducted works).
Alla Borenko, the Director of LLC «Nikopolska-STK». Photo: facebook.com/alla.borenko.2025
It is interesting that current director of LLC «Nikopolska-STK» Alla Borenko told the CJI that she knew nothing about criminal investigations of her company. She did not hear even about guilty verdict for Oleksandr Pogan.
On the opposite, director of Velyka Oleksandrivka lyceum Natalia Petryk says that she read journalist publications about this company before signing the contract. However, the lyceum did not have legitimate grounds to reject its proposal, as she says.
We do not agree with the director. We do not talk about dubious reputation of the company or a number of criminal investigations. Bids conducted within EU Ukraine Facility include a list of special requirements. They envisage the need to confirm by documents that the contractor completed successfully analogous projects within last three years.
LLC «Nikopolska-STK» submitted for the tender with the value of 27 million UAH the certificate about capital repairing works of underground shelter for kindergarten «Iskorka» in Boyarka in Kyiv oblast. The value of the contract has been 1,88 million UAH but the factual completion amounted to 1,4 million UAH. The complexity and value of project do not seem to be analogous for the tender in Velyka Oleksandrivka.
The certificate was not issued by the procurement entity – the Department of Capital Construction of Boyarka City Council. It was issued by …director of «Nikopolska-STK» Alla Borenko! As Boyarka Department found out that three company’s acts on completion of works did not have dates whereas their total value was less by 5 576 UAH than the value stipulated by the contract. When «Nikopolska-STK» corrected these mistakes, Velyka Oleksandrivka lyceum signed the contract with the company about reconstruction of school building for the creation of «key kitchen».
We will monitor this and other lucrative objects in Kherson oblast. If you are aware about misappropriation of budgetary resources, violations of legislation during renovation on liberated territories, illegal appropriation of community assets – please, inform us at editorial e-mail of IA «Center for Journalist Investigations» [email protected].
Publication was created within IWPR «Strengthening Civic Oversight» Project under financial support of Norway.
