The ₴90 million shelter for the lyceum in Rybakivka, Mykolaiv region, has not been completed in two years: when is the work due to be finished
Construction of the shelter at Rybakivka Lyceum has been delayed by two years. Photo: «Berezan» newspaperConstruction of the anti-radiation shelter at Rybakivka Lyceum in Mykolaiv region has dragged on for two years. In 2024, the Kobleve Village Council signed a contract worth 89 million hryvnias with Nimfan Ltd. However, the work has still not been fully completed; pupils are attending school in shifts and using the shelter at the local clinic.
NikVesti explains why there have been delays in the construction and when the work is expected to be completed.
A tender with a single bidder
According to the Prozorro public procurement system, the Department of Education, Youth and Sport of the Kobleve Village Council carried out a procurement process two years ago — in September 2024 — for the new construction of a shelter at the Rybakivka Lyceum. The shelter, with an area of 1,359.6 square metres, is designed to accommodate 390 people.
The estimated cost of the works was 90 million hryvnias. These funds came from an additional subsidy from the state budget for local communities.
The tender for the construction of the new shelter was held back in 2024. Screenshot from ProzorroThe sole bidder was Nimfan Ltd, which offered to carry out the work for 89.76 million hryvnias.
Nimfan LLtd was declared the winner of the tender in 2024. Screenshot from ProzorroAccording to You Control, the company was registered in Mykolaiv in 2005. As of 30 June 2026, the company had 14 registered employees.
On 3 October 2024, a contract was signed with the contractor. The work was initially scheduled to be completed by 1 September 2025. However, construction is still ongoing, two years later.
Under the contract, the shelter was to be built by 1 September 2025. Documents from Prozorro
Under the contract, the shelter was to be built by 1 September 2025. Documents from ProzorroOver the course of two years, the contract was amended several times. In particular, on 30 December 2025, the contract period was extended to 31 May 2026. On 28 May, the deadline for completion of the works was extended to 31 August 2026. And on 31 August, the deadline was changed to 31 October.
The contract was extended until 31 October 2026 and amendments were made to the financing plan. Documents from Prozorro
The contract was extended until 31 October 2026 and amendments were made to the funding plan. Documents from ProzorroSuspicions of inflated prices
According to the Dozorro analytical system, a total of 55 million hryvnias was allocated for building materials in 2024. However, the prices for the largest items exceeded market rates.
«For example, B25 concrete mix with different aggregate sizes was included in the estimate at 5,571.53 hryvnias per cubic metre (including VAT, — note). By way of comparison, «Beton 24/7» sold it at 3,640 UAH/m³, the «Mykolaiv Reinforced Concrete Products Plant» at 3,340 UAH/m³, and Hi-raise at 3,260 UAH/m³. «The overpayment on this item alone could amount to approximately 3.6 million hryvnias,» the analysts reported.
Dozorro also cited examples of other potential overcharges for materials. Analysts noted that the likely overpayment due to inflated prices for certain items of building materials could reach 4.4 million hryvnias.
«The contract price is fixed. This means the client will not be able to simply adjust the cost of materials in the certificates of completion,» the analysts reported.
Given the total cost of the works at 89.76 million hryvnias, a single space in the shelter will cost almost 230,000 hryvnias.
Construction of the shelter is set to continue into 2026. Photo: «Berezan»The shelter has become a long-running construction project
Liudmyla Dekhtiarenko, a journalist for the «Berezan» newspaper, reported on the publication’s website in October 2026 that construction had still not been completed. As the children are unable to return to their studies at the lyceum, the pupils’ parents became concerned about the situation and organised an inspection.
«During their first visit in mid-September, parents noted that the building was far from ready: there were no partitions in the toilets, the window reveals remained unfinished, the walls and floors were unpainted, and many doors were missing handles. A follow-up inspection on 22 September revealed that absolutely nothing had changed,» the journalist reported.
The publication noted that at this meeting, the director of Nimfan Ltd also attributed the delay in the work to a shortage of staff.
«He attributed the delay in work inside the shelter to a shortage of workers (particularly for painting), the urgent need to asphalt and tidy up the surrounding area to prevent dirt being tracked inside, and a delay in the delivery of sensors. He described the painting process — the absence of which is immediately obvious — as the final stage following the completion of all installation work, which will in fact take the least amount of time,» the statement reads.
A meeting between the parents’ committee, the school management and the director of the company building the shelter. Photo: «Berezan»On 29 September, the pupils’ parents saw that the work inside the building remained unchanged, whilst asphalt had been laid outside.
«We saw that, in my view, nothing had been done in a week. Nothing has changed inside. It feels as though the developer is promising us completion by 31 October, but we can see that at this rate, it won’t be finished by the end of this year,» said Viktoriia Rodenko, chair of the parents’ committee.
Parents noted that there are not enough workers to complete the work.
«He has too few people and the workload is enormous,» added another parent, Yurii Andreiev.
The parents’ committee has already inspected the shelter several times due to the protracted construction work. Photo: «Berezan»According to representatives of the parents’ committee, the developer also cites a shortage of workers.
«The developer said he had no workers. Workers turned up, but were turned away. And now he’s saying he has no workers. We’ve lost all hope,» said Olesia Andreieva.
Ihor Melnychuk, director of Nimfan Ltd, explained that the project was due to be completed on 31 May 2026.
«Due to the landscaping work, we had to extend the contract until the end of October (31 October, — note) We plan to complete the construction work, and then, in any case, we will need to hand over the shelter to the State Architectural and Construction Inspection and commission it,» said Ihor Melnychuk.
Blended learning and the shelter at the health centre
Tamara Drotenko, headteacher of the Rybakivka Lyceum, also pointed out that the shelter will enable all 10 year groups to return to face-to-face learning. At present, this is not possible. The two-shift system, which has been trialled, is also difficult for both pupils and teachers.
«At the moment, we are operating in a hybrid format. One day the upper school attends in person, the next day the lower school does. The current shelter does not allow us to organise face-to-face teaching for everyone at the same time. Everything has been organised: meals, all the classrooms have been renovated, everything is in place, but there is no suitable shelter that could accommodate all the children,» said Tamara Drotenko.
completed by 31 October 2026. Photo: «Berezan»
The shelter is scheduled to be completed by 31 October 2026. Photo: «Berezan»According to her, the nursery is also unable to operate fully due to the lack of a shelter. The Kobleve Village Council informed NikVesti in response to an enquiry that, for the time being, the children are using the medical facility’s shelter.
«At present, educational institutions are using the shelter at the medical facility, in accordance with the Memorandum of Cooperation on the temporary use of the shelter at the «Kobleve» Primary Healthcare Centre, a municipal non-profit enterprise,» the village council stated.
Why has the construction been delayed?
In response to an information request from NikVesti, the Kobleve village council cited the reasons why construction has not yet been completed. These include the war, mobilisation, prolonged air raid alerts, and additional works.
«Throughout the project’s implementation, due to martial law conditions, mobilisation measures, prolonged air raid alerts, power supply disruptions, as well as the need to adjust design solutions due to changes in landscape and geodetic conditions (the need to install additional drainage and to bypass power cables that had been identified), the parties entered into supplementary agreements regarding amendments to the work schedules and the extension of the construction deadlines (from 30 December 2025, 28 May 2026 and 31 August 2026)», the Kobleve Village Council reported.
As of 15 October 2026, the shelter’s completion rate was estimated at 91.44 per cent. The village council reported that 616,524 hryvnias remained.
«The contractor is currently carrying out the final finishing and commissioning works and tidying up the surrounding area. Completion of the construction works is scheduled for 31 October 2026,» the village council added.
The Kobleve village council also confirmed that the shelter is designed to accommodate 390 people: it should be sufficient for all pupils at the Rybakivka Lyceum, children at the «Perlynka» nursery, and staff at both institutions. Once the shelter is ready, children from the village of Luhove will also be brought there.
Response from the Kobleve Village Council to a query from NikVesti
Response from the Kobleve Village Council to an enquiry from NikVestiWork has also been delayed at other educational institutions
As a reminder, in the Mykolaiv region, there are plans to complete the construction of a shelter on the grounds of the Oleksandrivka Lyceum, which has also become a long-delayed project: construction began back in 2023. The Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport of the Oleksandrivka Settlement Council has signed a contract with Vozbud Plus LLC — the sole bidder in the tender. The cost of the works amounts to 49.8 million hryvnias. The work is due to be completed by the end of 2027.
This is already the fourth contract for the construction of the Oleksandrivka Lyceum shelter — 49 million hryvnias have already been paid to the three previous contractors, yet the project remains unfinished. Analysts have examined the contracts and reported a possible overpayment of 3.3 million hryvnias.
Furthermore, in the Stepove community in the Mykolaiv region, a contractor was re-selected for the construction of a shelter for the Mykhailivka Lyceum. The winning bidder offered 51.3 million hryvnias, although two other companies were prepared to carry out the work for almost 6.6 million less. The State Audit Service is investigating the procurement. A criminal case has now been opened in relation to the previous 2025 tender worth 46.6 million hryvnias.
The refurbishment of the basement at Lyceum №38 named after Volodymyr Chaika in Mykolaiv, where the shelter is being fitted out, was not completed by 1 September. Work on the site is currently ongoing; however, due to additional work and the need to amend the project documentation, completion of the refurbishment is now expected in early December 2026.
Back in June 2024, the company «Maister Bud-Montazh» was awarded a contract worth 20 million hryvnias to refurbish the shelter at Lyceum №38. The work was not completed on time, and the public prosecutor’s office is demanding that a fine and damages be recovered from the contractor. The repairs are now being carried out by another contractor.
Read also the NikVesti article «The money has run out. How the reconstruction of a school in Mykolaiv came to a halt halfway through».
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This publication was produced within the framework of the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) project “Strengthening Public Oversight,” with financial support from Norway. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the NGO “Mykolaiv Media Hub” and the online media outlet “NikVesti.” This material can in no way be considered as reflecting the views of IWPR or the Government of Norway.
