Why Did Odesa Authorities Hide UAH 1.1 Billion?
The February 21 session of Odesa City Council left many questions unanswered, especially regarding the distribution of budget balances from previous periods. Green Leaf examined the issue in detail.
Figures for undistributed budget balances
The city ended the 2023 budget year with large balances in City Council accounts, which according to the city office of the State Treasury amounted to UAH 1,537,806,632.66.
It should be noted that these budget-balance figures are reflected exclusively in the State Treasury Service report on execution of Odesa’s budget, or can be obtained by submitting a request to the Treasury, because this information is not shown in the city budget decision for the current year.
Of these funds, UAH 2,000,000 of the general fund constitutes the working balance of budget funds — the amount that cannot be spent.
All other funds, under Article 72 of the Budget Code of Ukraine, both in the general and special budget funds, may be used to cover the budget deficit by amending the local budget decision.
However, by its February 21 session decision, the city authorities used only UAH 418,097,530 to cover the budget deficit. As for the rest of the money, the city authorities, as usual, pretended that it did not exist.
If all figures are compiled in a table separating the general and special funds, the result is as follows:
| Indicators | General fund | Special fund | Total |
| Budget balance at the end of 2023 | 1 435 194 254,56 | 102 612 378,10 | 1 537 806 632,66 |
| Working balance of budget funds in 2024 | 2 000 000,00 | 2 000 000,00 | |
| Budget balance excluding the working balance as of January 1, 2024 (funds that may be directed to expenditure financing) | 1 433 194 254,56 | 102 612 378,10 | 1 535 806 632,66 |
| Budget balances used by the decision of February 21, 2024 | 340 152 330,00 | 77 945 200,00 | 418 097 530,00 |
| Unused budget balance | 1 093 041 924,56 | 24 667 178,10 | 1 117 709 102,66 |
Conclusion
These actions by the city authorities may indicate the following:
1. The unwillingness of Odesa City Council to fully fund the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the city’s territorial defense.
2. From the perspective of the Odesa City Council leadership, an absence of problems in the city that require municipal budget funding.
3. By creating a UAH 1.1 billion “stash,” the Odesa City Council leadership will later be able to use these funds to finance projects exclusively for “connected persons.”
Chronicle of Russia’s War Crimes Against Ukraine’s Environment: Odesa Oblast, February 2024
Two years of Russia’s full-scale invasion: continued missile and drone terror, killings of residents of the region, destruction of housing and civilian infrastructure.
We collect facts about Russia’s crimes against the environment of Odesa and Odesa Oblast during the war: environmental pollution caused by explosions and damage to infrastructure, contamination of air, water and soil with toxic substances, destruction of ecosystems in protected areas and internationally important conservation sites, and more. We will update the information daily, so please send any facts known to you to: zeleniy.list1@gmal.com
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Green Leaf Investigation Conducted with Moldova’s TV8 Wins First Place in Competition
The Association of Environmental and Ecotourism Journalists of Moldova (AJMTEM) awarded first place to the cross-border investigation into the impact of the Transnistrian thermal power plant on Ukraine’s environment, “Hostages of the Moldavskaya GRES.” The investigation was conducted by journalists from Green Leaf NGO together with their Moldovan colleagues from TV8 with support from Journalismfund Europe.
President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu was among those who attended the award ceremony.
From the award ceremony. Photo from the internet
The investigation examines the impact of the Moldavskaya GRES power plant operating in the territory of the unrecognized Transnistrian region. It is the largest power plant in Europe.
At the same time, Ukrainian villages suffer from the operation of the power plant in the so-called PMR: Lymanske and Kuchurhan face the threat of flooding, while Hradenytsi suffers from untreated toxic waste. The area of contaminated land on Ukrainian territory is about 130 hectares.
In addition, Ukrainian communities are forced to spend budget funds continuously, in effect supporting the technical operating cycle of the Moldavskaya GRES.
At the same time, Moldova is dependent on the operation of the thermal power plant in Transnistria for its energy supply. De facto, this means dependence on the separatist regime in the so-called PMR, backed by Kremlin leaders. The Moldavskaya GRES is owned by a Russian company headed by sanctioned businessman Boris Kovalchuk, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
For a time, the Moldavskaya GRES even exported electricity to the EU, bypassing sanctions through the registration of a company in Chișinău.
Thus, while the Moldavskaya GRES earns money and fills the budget of unrecognized Transnistria, Ukraine is left with environmental problems, and Moldova remains critically dependent on the separatists and their Kremlin patrons.