At present, the city program “City Target Program to Promote the Development of Territorial Defense Units and Volunteer Formations of the Odesa City Territorial Community for 2022–2025” provides, among other things, UAH 100 million to public and charitable organizations to address the needs of Odesa’s Territorial Defense Forces. Green Leaf has already reported this earlier.

To clarify all the circumstances, we contacted the Department of Internal Policy of Odesa City Council, which is the chief spending unit for these funds. We were very surprised to learn that two mayoral orders on this issue had already been issued in early March 2024:

No. 114 of 04.03.2024 — On the establishment of the competition commission …

No. 115 of 04.03.2024 — On approval of the Procedure for competitive selection of programs (projects, activities) …

A careful analysis of Order No. 114 did not help us find the composition of the competition commission, although according to the order the list was supposedly attached.

Indeed, on March 23, the Odesa City Council website published a news item titled “For the attention of representatives of Odesa civil society institutions.” The announcement stated that, pursuant to mayoral orders No. 114 and No. 115, the competition commission was launching a competitive selection of programs (projects and activities) by civil society institutions in Odesa aimed at addressing the needs of the city’s Territorial Defense Forces in 2024–2025, with financial support from the budget of the Odesa City Territorial Community. Notably, by April 23 the announcement on the website had been viewed by fewer than 200 people. Posting it on the Facebook page did not add much reach either.

The deadline for submitting competition proposals had already passed on April 25. According to the program passport, the deadline for project implementation is November 30, 2024.

Green Leaf still has questions:

1. Who served on the competition commission?

2. How many NGOs or charitable foundations took part in the competition, how did they learn about it, and who ultimately won?

3. If Odesa’s Territorial Defense is financed directly from the city budget, why create a parallel financing structure for the city’s Territorial Defense?

4. Could this become a repeat, on a larger scale, of the notorious Odesa LED-swing story that cost almost UAH 5 million?