Road construction budget in Ukraine consists of kickbacks, theft and inefficiency - expert

The budget for the construction and repair of Ukrainian roads includes a corruption component, direct theft and inefficient use of funds.

This opinion was expressed by transport expert Viktor Medved at a press conference at the GolosUA news agency.

According to him, the corruption component of road construction and repair in Ukraine takes an average of about 30-40%. Another 30% of the funds allocated for patching and construction of road surfaces are "stretched" directly by the direct executors at all levels.

"When a road is being built, someone is simultaneously building a summer house (at the expense of funds allocated for roads - ed.)," Medved emphasized.

In addition, according to the analyst, an important factor in the poor quality of roads in Ukraine is the inefficiency of spending the funds that go directly to repair and construction.

For example, he said, as long as the tender for the construction of the highway goes through all the procedures and Ukravtodor officials share all the kickbacks, the project can begin in late fall, when asphalt is laid with snow and ice.

The expert also recalled that government tenders are usually won by foreign companies that hire contractors in Ukraine at a low cost and withdraw huge amounts of money from the country. Thus, Ukrainian workers work for a pittance, and the quality of Ukrainian roads is constantly deteriorating.

This year, the government intends to allocate an additional UAH 15 billion for road repairs and construction in Ukraine.