Funds from the UNICEF international program and the Lutsk city community partially "disappeared" during the substandard reconstruction of sewage treatment facilities. Law enforcement agencies are investigating a possible conspiracy between officials of the Lutskvodokanal municipal enterprise and the Lviv-based contractor Welt Capital. Meanwhile, the Styr River suffers from discharges of untreated wastewater, which pose a threat to nature and people.
This was reported by the Center for Investigative Journalism "The Power of Truth." As it became known, the court seized water samples from the enterprise, which may become material evidence in the case.
The investigation's version
Law enforcement officials believe that the embezzlement took place between 2024 and 2025. Officials at Lutskvodokanal committed a crime in collusion with the contractor by purchasing work at inflated prices.
The funds appropriated were from the UNICEF environmental protection program, which had allocated them for environmental protection measures. Funds allocated by the Lutsk City Council to support the enterprise were also affected.
Money stolen – the environment suffers
Due to the "skimming" of money, the reconstruction of the water supply and sewage networks was carried out poorly. Treatment facilities are under additional strain, so untreated sewage ends up in the Styr River – due to forced or emergency discharges.
For example, an unknown gray-white substance was noticed on the surface of the Styr. It was recorded below the discharge point from the treatment facilities, while the water above was free of any unusual contamination.
Arrest for water samples
In January 2026, law enforcement officials and environmentalists conducted an inspection of the company's site in the village of Lyplyany. The site includes treatment facilities, filtration fields, and sludge ponds.
Employees of the State Environmental Inspection collected water samples for further research: eight samples from two drains and from the river downstream, and six samples upstream of the Styr.
On January 15, the Lutsk City District Court granted the police's request to seize these samples. They were recognized as material evidence and sent to the State Environmental Inspection of the Volyn region for laboratory testing.
The company tried to avoid the seizure of the samples, in particular, the lawyer of the Lutskvodokanal municipal enterprise refused to do so in court. Among the arguments were alleged procedural violations during the inspection of the company's premises and the lack of data on the proper storage of samples. The court was not convinced by these arguments.
Notorious reconstruction
The Lutskvodokanal treatment facilities were indeed in need of repair. In 2020, due to the inefficient operation of the utility’s bioponds, there was a mass die-off of fish in the Styr.
As a result, a large-scale reconstruction was finally approved and the necessary funds identified. The work was carried out in two phases, and the total cost reached 128 million UAH. Notably, Welt Capital was the only participant and, accordingly, the successful bidder in both tenders.
This company has been registered in Lviv since 2016 and since then has received government contracts totaling over UAH 6.5 billion. Among the company's largest customers are Lutskvodokanal and the State Enterprise “Local Road Service in Volyn Region.” For the latter, Welt Capital actually received more than 40% of the total project budget for contract execution.
In the tender for UAH 128 million for the restoration of the Officers' House in Lutsk, the company was also the sole participant. At the same time, the media had previously drawn attention to inflated prices from this contractor-with the reconstruction of heat networks for the utility company "Volodymyrteplo", the firm offered pipes at prices twice as high as the market rate.
EcoPolitic had previously reported on the suspicious origin of the assets of the Head of the State Environmental Inspectorate. In explanations attached to his declaration, he claimed he had found more than $600,000 in his grandmother’s garage.
