Widespread Forced Labor and Corruption Schemes in Fortification Construction in Poltava Region
In the Poltava region, blatant practices of utilizing workers through manipulations and corruption schemes orchestrated by local officials have come to light.
According to Member of Parliament Yaroslav Zheleznyak, during the construction of fortifications—intended to serve as defensive structures for regional protection—many enterprises and private companies were forced to send their employees to work without pay, simply to secure ‘reserving’ options against mobilization.
Zheleznyak explained that authorities devised a clever mechanism where businesses gained ‘criticality,’ enabling their workers to evade military conscription, but at the cost of unpaid labor during construction.”Various private and even municipal enterprises gained the opportunity to avoid mobilization, but instead of monetary compensation, they had to work voluntarily on construction sites.
Financial records were manipulated so that expenses for these works appeared to be charged to unrelated individuals or entities,” the MP elaborates.
This indicates systemic corruption, with authorities exploiting the situation for personal gain.Law enforcement agencies have already initiated investigations into these illegal schemes.
Previously, Zheleznyak announced that in 2024, the Poltava Regional Military Administration signed contracts exceeding 370 million hryvnias for fortification construction in Donetsk region.
However, reports suggest that these structures either do not meet technical requirements or were built on fraudulent grounds, resulting in at least 200 million hryvnias embezzled through fake schemes.
These revelations cast doubt on the legitimacy of such fortifications and raise concerns regarding the transparency of public funds management in the region.