Hundreds of millions could have been overpaid for protective structures for energy — Zheleznyak

At the construction of protective structures for gas transportation infrastructure facilities in Ukraine, multimillion-dollar overpayments may have occurred. According to People’s Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak, the state enterprise 'Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine' may have already overpaid more than 70 million UAH for the purchase of concrete protective blocks, and potential losses may increase to 150 million UAH. Zheleznyak stated this in a new episode of his YouTube channel 'Iron MP.'

Possible multimillion overpayments revealed in energy protection

According to the deputy, an analysis of the tenders of the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine from June 2025 to January 2026 revealed purchases of concrete protective blocks through intermediary companies.

These are elements used for building protective structures around energy facilities that regularly suffer from Russian attacks.

As Zheleznyak claims, the state enterprise bought blocks through private companies at prices that, in some cases, were nearly twice as high as the product cost directly from manufacturers.

For instance, a block that cost about 6 thousand UAH at the factory was sold to the state for almost 12 thousand UAH.

Three intermediary companies under suspicion

The investigation mentions three companies that won tenders for the supply of protective structures:

• Building Group A;
• 'Skhid Agro';
• 'Aprom'.

According to the deputy, these companies do not exhibit characteristics of large manufacturing enterprises, and some of them have a minimal number of employees and do not own production facilities.

Zheleznyak asserts that the actual manufacturers of the blocks were other enterprises, while the winning companies acted as intermediaries between factories and the state customer.

According to the deputy's estimates, the overpayment on already concluded contracts could exceed 70 million UAH, while potential losses on future supplies could amount to another approximately 80 million UAH.

Deputy announced appeal to NABU

The investigation also mentions the security director of the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine, Oleg Doronin, who, according to Zheleznyak, is responsible for security and for approving relevant procurements.

The deputy claims that business connections may exist between certain supplier companies and structures associated with the official's family.

At the same time, there are currently no judicial decisions regarding these circumstances.

Yaroslav Zheleznyak stated that he, along with People’s Deputy Maksym Khlapuk, appealed to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine regarding possible violations.

According to the deputy, NABU has already registered the relevant proceedings and is conducting a check of the stated facts.

The issue of energy protection remains critically important

The topic of protecting energy infrastructure remains one of the key issues for Ukraine amidst constant Russian attacks on energy facilities and the gas transportation system.

That’s why any potential abuses during the procurement of protective measures carry special public weight and require careful verification by law enforcement.

Earlier, Yaroslav Zheleznyak stated that the proposed government changes to the state budget for 2026 again lack funds for army needs and for increasing salaries for military personnel.