National anti-corruption Bureau became interested in the project engineering arrangement of the Ukrainian-Russian border “Wall”. According to the detectives NAB, on this site the officials managed to steal from the budget of 16 million — and this at a time when the country is fighting in the Donbass. As an ambitious defense Department project has become a commonplace mechanism for plundering of money, understood the “Apostrophe”.
Millions stolen
The idea to build on the border with Russia, the wall and dig a trench announced in June 2014, the then Governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region Igor Kolomoisky. The Cabinet Kolomoisky idea so much that in September the head of the government Arseniy Yatsenyuk declared the beginning of works on arrangement of borders and the allocation under this event the first 100 million hryvnia. “We are starting the project “the Wall”. This construction real state border between Ukraine and the Russian Federation”, — he reported.
From this moment, Yatsenyuk becomes the main newsmaker at “the Wall”, and the project is associated with the Prime Minister. The dissonant fall of the Wall in the Cabinet change to the pathos of the “European wave”, highlighting the fact that Ukraine remains the last Outpost on the way of penetration of the “Russian world” to Europe, especially since the money for the demarcation of the border was isolated not only from the budget, but received from the EU.
And then the problems started: project budget was cut from 8 to 4 billion UAH, the funds absorbed sluggish, the construction was slowed down due to weather conditions, and here also had problems with farmers, because the wall-a shaft crossing arable land. A permanent situation worsened bloggers and journalists, spreading the network photos where it was clear that Yatsenyuk is being implemented at a snail’s pace.
First nerves could not stand the Prosecutor General Yury Lutsenko. In July of this year, the PGO announced that it was investigating the case of assignment of border guards and private companies, 100 million UAH for the construction of the “Wall”. Later joined the case and NAB, which reported about suspicion and detained 7 people suspected of involvement in the embezzlement of funds on the “Wall”. Among them 3 employees of the state border service, the head of the 3 companies that had to build a “Wall”, and one mediator between them. However, according to the calculations of NABOO, on the wall stole not 100, but 16 million.
In addition, the NAB suspected the guards in the purchase of inefficient technology for the protection of the state border: four armored vehicles “Triton”, which cost the budget of 59 million hryvnias, and put them presidential the plant “Lenin’s smithy”. Information about this can be found in the Unified registry of court decisions.
The money will still give
But despite the trial, “the Wall” continues to generously financed from the budget. Thus, the head of the state border service Peter Cigital in a media interview said that this year has been allocated 200 million UAH for the project of engineering arrangement of border. Another 300 million hryvnia guards get through the already approved changes in the budget, for a total of 500 million UAH.
Mechanism to suspend the allocation of funds at least at the time of litigation, NABU no. “This is the Cabinet decides, not us,” he explained, “Apostrophe”, the speaker of the Ministry Svetlana Olefir. Likely that these half can once again become a field for acts of corruption, except that the schema can change.
“Yes, we have the entire state budget of Ukraine is the field for corruption, so what happens now, don’t make the budget?— says “Apostrophe” Deputy head of the parliamentary Committee on preventing and combating corruption, MP (independent) Viktor Chumak. Is the loud name “the Wall”, but in fact it is the engineering development of the state border, and it needs to do anyway”.
On the need of demarcation of the Ukrainian-Russian border and insists the former Deputy head of state border service Pavel shisholin, which in September 2014 and presented the project “the Wall”.
“Names “Wall”, “European wave” — it’s all for beauty. It’s PR-projects competition, who better to call. The essence of the other: on the border with Russia has long needed to create a system of engineering construction to provide reliable protection of border. It clearly says shisholin. — All the activities that take place on the border, come from the policy of the state. When Russia was a friendly country and we weren’t allowed to do many things on the border at least in order to reduce the number of illegal migrants and violations, smuggling goods. At the time, about 10 years ago, when Nikolai Azarov was a people’s Deputy, Olexander Yefremov, head of the Luhansk regional state administration, we in the Luhansk region began to make ditches in order that the cars did not cross the border, and to the side from the boundary line established barbed wire. Once we have conducted the first engineering activities in the Rada, Azarov raised the cry that we disown fraternal people, and we were branded as people were discharged in the state. Today the situation is completely different, but this should be treated not from the point of view of public relations”.
Shisholin recognize that what today has become “the Wall”, is unlikely to deter the aggression of Russia in the event of a widespread invasion.
“What we are doing today, against tanks is not a barrier. I don’t think this is against heavy equipment. First and foremost, this is done in order to prevent illegal border crossing by people,” — said the former Deputy head of state border service.
As told to “Apostrophe” military instructor, a former soldier of the Israel defense forces Tzvi Arieli, the protection of illegal immigrants at the border and may be the only objective of the project.
“If the goal of the project is defensive, then it’s pointless. If the goal is to strangle the flow of contraband, it makes sense, but this requires that throughout the “Wall” was established in the technical means of tracking, reference points and track safety, where at any time when electronic indication of place of violation of the border can go mobile crews of guards,” says Ariely.
But the separation barrier in Israel, which is often cited as an example by the supporters of the defense of the concept of the “Wall”, according to the expert, performs very different functions.
“This wall is made exclusively between Israel and the Palestinian territories in the so-called “green line”. No one will build a wall on the Syrian border or the Lebanese, that is, where there is more heavy weapons. The wall erected against terrorists, and illegal workers. From a military point of view, such barriers are meaningless against an opponent who is armed with something more than a Kalashnikov,” concluded Arieli.
“At first we were told that “the Wall” is a defence project, and then he moved into the category of engineering, and its defensive function has disappeared. The defense Ministry didn’t even do the analysis of its defence responsibilities, referring to the fact that this requires the request of the Cabinet — adds “Apostrophe” MP from “Samopomich” Olena Sotnyk, who repeatedly attacked the parliamentary inquiries of NABOO, the security service, interior Ministry and defense Ministry with the request to understand, where did the money go allocated for the “Wall”. — Why, for example, are we spending million on a trench, which next year will be filled with water, buried by snow and not a trace of it left?”
In the words of the Centurion before you pour another half a billion in the construction of the “Wall”, the government is obliged to analyze project and understand what to build and why.
“If no decision is made, including in the Cabinet to properly perform this project before you start spending money, then I am afraid that we will have very high risks, and again millions will simply go nowhere, or rather in the ground, — said the MP. — You must wonder what we build, what we build and all components of the project are really needed. Procurement on the project do not go ProZorro, completely in manual mode. Contractors and subcontractors are selected on an obscure format, and in fact is no control. A lot of questions to this project.”
To expect that such analysis will be public, however. “Most of the information on these projects is a state secret, adds Centurion. — I have read many documents but can’t say anything, because everything is secret.”
Leash for NF
With confidence we can say that, despite the debate about the practical effectiveness of the “Wall”, a PR mission this project complied with fully turning issues to their own creators.
“This topic has been used to discredit and counter the “popular front” — says “Apostrophe” analyst Peter oleschuk. — When Yatsenyuk was Prime Minister, this issue was a key in the context of his criticism, and “the Wall” became a symbol of corruption schemes associated with the former Prime Minister”.
In the context of interest to the NEB to “the Wall”, Yatsenyuk and his team in Parliament and the government at risk of serious reputational loss. Sure, the political strategist Yaroslav Makitra.
“But combine the fact that the opening of the case, with a possible order, or the desire to NAB directly to discredit Yatsenyuk I would not hurry — said Nut. — If we analyze the number of cases is now investigating NABOO, and those names that are voiced, they are from different political forces and interest groups, so now there is no reason to talk about any orders Yatsenyuk”.
