Instead of shelters for townspeople in the border region, there are elite “mansions” for the local leader. The acting mayor of Chernigov, Alexander Lomako, according to community representatives, is saving budget funds intended for the repair of bomb shelters and defense. But he clearly doesn’t skimp on himself: the SBI has already become interested in the official’s foreign visits and wealth.
How are funds from the local budget of Chernigov spent, and how does the interim mayor of the city, Alexander Lomako, manage to lead a wealthy lifestyle with a fairly modest official income? To find out, the StopCor team went to the border regional center.
In the summer, StopCor already recorded a glaring situation with Chernigov shelters. Then almost half of all storage facilities turned out to be unusable or closed. But has anything changed since then? This time, during an air raid, our film crew again noticed a crowd of people near one of the city hospitals.
Chernigov residents were forced to stand in the open under the threat of shelling, because there were no acceptable conditions in the shelter. Instead of a toilet there is a bucket. And for convenience - a sink and a liter of technical water. At the same time, according to the characteristics, 300 people should be accommodated here, but in reality no more than thirty can come in.
Why, despite hundreds of millions allocated from the budget for the repair of bomb shelters, do the residents of Chernigov have to hide from the aggressor’s shelling in inhumane conditions?
The question is rhetorical. After all, it was the border city of Chernigov that took last place in the ranking of aid allocated to the Defense Forces. According to media reports, 1 billion 220 thousand hryvnia went into the city budget from the personal income tax of the military. However, only 28 million UAH were sent to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. That is less than three percent!
At the same time, other cities allocate about a fifth for this. What do the Chernigov authorities allocate the “saved” funds for?
“You read the news, yes, and many people appropriate money that does not belong to them. They allocate money to repair public gardens that don’t need it, instead of allocating money to the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” says Maria, a local resident.
And this woman is not the only one who thinks so. All residents of Chernigov, who were interviewed by StopCor representatives, emphasized that the most needed assistance to the military is now.
Where do the Chernigov authorities, led by interim mayor Alexander Lomako, actually spend money?
Journalists analyzed purchases totaling one million hryvnia to cover the activities of the city council. In other words, the mayor’s office allocated almost a million hryvnia for advertising themselves - in newspapers, the Internet and radio.
Another about 2.5 million UAH were awarded during the tender for the production of medals “For the Defense of Chernihiv.” Of course, the latter is an important matter, if it were not used as yet another PR for the authorities.
Responsible for the effective distribution of Chernihiv’s budget is directly the interim head of the city, Alexander Lomako.
We have already talked about this “mayor” and his probable connections with Russia in the preliminary investigation. But after StopCor’s material aired, the SBI visited him, because Lomako had arranged a business trip to Germany, and also ended up in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Poland. And all this is for public funds.
Our editors have come across a fragment of a document that indicates what exactly employees of the State Bureau of Investigation seized during searches at Lomako’s place. These are statements from two bank cards, a Huawei tablet, an Apple iPad and an IPhone 14.
As it became known from the document, when satisfying the prosecutor's request to seize the property, the investigating judge referred to the fact that the said petition contained the legal grounds for the seizure of property, the sufficiency of evidence indicating the commission of a criminal offense, an indication of the reasonableness and proportionality of the restriction of criminal proceedings.
And regarding the rational use of budget funds, searches continue in the City Council, led by representatives of the State Audit Service.
According to the press service of the Office of the Northern Office of the State Audit Service in the Chernigov region, facts of violations of budget legislation for inefficient use of funds and property, as well as actions on signs of corruption by officials of the Executive Committee of the Chernigov City Council, have already been recorded.
What about the condition of Alexander Lomako himself and his family?
As StopCora journalists discovered, Lomako lives in the very center of the city, in a closed, prestigious residential complex. His apartment of 132 square meters can be valued at approximately 132 thousand dollars.
This housing is registered in the name of Alexander’s wife Lydia, as are two other houses in Chernigov. One is 62.9 square meters, and the other is 36. With this square footage, a woman can spend about 4-5 thousand hryvnia per month on utility bills.
The Lomaco family also has two cars, according to their 2020 declaration. The wife has a NISSAN ROGUE, the husband has a BMW x3. The costs of their maintenance and fuel can reach about 10 thousand UAH per month for each car. Also, according to Lomak's neighbors, a nanny helps them. The cost of such services can cost another 15 thousand per month.
Let's not forget about the two older children. Do they study at the most expensive school in Chernigov? and this is 17 thousand for each child monthly, including clubs and meals. Why doesn't Lomako want to send his children to public school? There is also an interesting question for the mayor, as he is responsible for the level of education of his community.
An average food package for a family will cost another 15-20 thousand hryvnia. So the approximate amount of expenses, without buying clothes, new gadgets, etc., per month in the family of the interim mayor of the city can reach 88 thousand UAH, according to minimal estimates. And Mr. Lomako’s official salary is only 40 thousand per month.
Maybe the mayor's wife supplements the family budget?
The main business activity of the official's wife Lydia Lomako is baking craft bread. But since she burns at home and on her own, we are hardly talking about big earnings. Moreover, on the Youcontrol analytical platform, StopCor investigators did not find any evidence that it has permission for such activities, which means that the payment of taxes from this home bakery is also in doubt.
So, is the mayor’s family, taking into account all the listed possible expenses, able to live on the official income? And where does the money come from then? Perhaps the answer lies in the supposedly informal meetings with officials and entrepreneurs that Mr. Mayor holds outside his office in the City Council?
The StopCor team tried to ask the head of Chernigov personally about the discrepancy between income and expenses and misuse of budget funds, but the mayor was again not there due to... another business trip. So what will happen next.
Let us remind you that Chernigov City Council deputy Marina Reiko accused the temporary head of the city, Alexander Lomak, of wasting budget funds on trips abroad for personal purposes. During the war, the official repeatedly traveled to the United States and Europe, ostensibly to represent the interests of society. But he did not provide any public reports about his foreign “business trips,” and the flight routes turned out to be quite “interesting.”
