Scandal over school meals in Mykolaiv: MPE director Vashenyak arrested with bail set at ₴240,000.
- News of Mykolaiv
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- Anna Hakman
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14:09, 14 January, 2026
Petro Vashenyak and his lawyer at the hearing on 14 January. Photo: NikVestiThe Central District Court of Mykolaiv remanded Petro Vashenyak, head of a municipal production enterprise for educational institutions (MPE), in custody until 20 February 2026, with the possibility of bail set at 242,240 hryvnias.
Details of the court hearings are provided by a correspondent for NikVesti.
As is known, from 12 to 13 January, the Central District Court of Mykolaiv considered a motion to impose a preventive measure on Petro Vasheniak. More than 20 errors were found in the investigation materials in court, which had to be paused several times for review. However, today, 14 January, before the court hearing, lawyer Vadym Balaban told journalists that there were more than 40 errors in the documents.
During the hearing, written evidence was considered, including letters from the education department with a list of establishments where Prossecco 8 LLC provided catering services. The prosecution focused on the inspection of food delivery vehicles, medical certificates of employees, and compliance with sanitary standards.
«First, the vehicles rented by Prossecco 8 for food transportation and emergency services in schools are being additionally inspected. We are evaluating not only the documentation on disinfection, which may or may not have been carried out, but also the general technical condition and possible violations of sanitary standards. We are also examining the medical certificates of employees provided by the defence, which often do not meet legal requirements: it is impossible to identify all employees, and there are no photographs, seals or other documents. All of this is being combined into a single picture for the pre-trial investigation,» said Ihor Ivanchenko, deputy head of the Mykolaiv District Prosecutor's Office.
The prosecution. Photo: NikVesti
The prosecution. Photo: NikVestiThe prosecutor also noted that the intention to terminate the catering services agreement was formalised after the searches and publicity.
«I do not consider it appropriate to disclose details that are not related to the choice of a preventive measure, as the defence may try to hide the suspect. We will discuss all the points directly during the hearing of the parties. Given the public outcry, any documents relevant to the proceedings must be duly substantiated. In particular, the intention to terminate the catering services agreement was formalised after the searches and publicity, so all measures were taken in a timely manner,» added Ihor Ivanchenko.
During the hearing, Halyna Podzihun reported that municipal educational institutions received catering services on 12 December 2025 from Prosecco 8 LLC in a number of schools, including Mykolaiv Gymnasium №4, №13, №15, Lyceum №22, Gymnasium №31 and others.
The inspection also found that some of the products did not meet sanitary standards, in particular three portions of baby food in terms of microbiological indicators.
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As is known, the materials also indicated that 216,172 hryvnias were spent on catering for 10 schools during the first four days from 8 to 11 December. Dina Menchynska found materials on the schools' calculations, which the judge added to the case.
«Firstly, the price of raw materials and products for the preparation of our own products is 50%. Secondly, a surcharge is added to this set of goods for finished products in the food, industrial and agricultural sectors, which are used for further consumption, and it amounts to 15% of the purchase price. That is, 50% plus 15% equals a total of 65% of the total cost of providing services. If we look at the math, the total amount that Prosecco 8 spent on the purchase and delivery of goods is 216,172 hryvnia. Based on the calculation, 75% of this amount is approximately 45,000 hryvnias, not 216,172 hryvnias,» said lawyer Vadym Balaban.
He added that Petro Vasheniak could have embezzled about 10,000 hryvnias, not 216,172 hryvnias.
«Accordingly, the amount of damage that could be attributed to the suspect is significantly less than 216,000 hryvnias, and not as stated in the suspicion,» added Vadym Balaban.
The case on the choice of preventive measure was heard by Judge Halyna Podzihun. Photo: NikVestiTherefore, Judge Halyna Podzihun of the Central District Court remanded the director of the COP, Petro Vasheniak, in custody with the possibility of bail in the amount of 242,240 hryvnias. The preventive measure will remain in effect until 20 February 2026.
In the event of release on bail, the judge imposed the following obligations on Petro Vasheniak until 20 February 2026:
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To appear when summoned by the investigator, prosecutor, and court.
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Not to leave Mykolaiv without the permission of the investigator, prosecutor or court.
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Notify the investigator, prosecutor or court of any change of residence, place of work or contact details.
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Refrain from communicating with witnesses and other suspects in this criminal proceeding.
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Surrender your passport, foreign travel passports, and other documents entitling you to leave and enter Ukraine to the relevant state authorities for safekeeping.
The court remanded COP director Petro Vasheniak in custody, photo: NikVestiCatering for schoolchildren in Mykolaiv
On 9 December, NikVesti showed the process of providing some of the city's schools with food prepared by the private company Prosecco 8, which received a catering contract from the municipal enterprise. The children's parents said that the children did not receive breakfast on Monday, and food was only delivered after lunch.
The footage showed company employees cooking porridge on the street under a tent in the rain.
Vitalii Kim, a member of the Mykolaiv City Council and head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, responded to the scandal. After that, the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Mykolaiv region opened a criminal case regarding violations of the rules for preparing food for students in city schools.
Only in the evening did Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych respond to the video. The mayor called the situation unacceptable and initiated an investigation.
In turn, Mykolaiv City Council deputy Tetiana Dombrovska called the scandal with the new catering for schoolchildren a failure of the authorities. She is demanding the dismissal of Deputy Mayor Anatolii Petrov and MPE Director Petro Vasheniak.
Due to the detected signs of violation of the law in the field of public procurement, the State Audit Service has launched an investigation into the procurement of catering services for educational institutions in Mykolaiv.
It should be noted that the Mykolaiv City Council decided to engage a private contractor after public outcry over the quality of school meals. At the end of November, the municipal enterprise selected the company Prossecco 8, which will deliver food to some of the city's schools throughout December. During the open tender, Prossecco 8 was the only participant and winner of the competition for the organisation of catering services. The price of the services amounted to 14 million 279 thousand 658 hryvnias.
On the morning of 12 December, employees of the Strategic Investigations Department of the Mykolaiv region, together with the police, conducted searches at Prossecco 8 LLC, the Department of Education, and the municipal catering company.
The searches were conducted as part of criminal proceedings under Part 4 of Article 191 — appropriation or embezzlement of property on an especially large scale or committed by an organised group.
The searches began on the morning of 12 December. Photo: NikVesti
The searches began on the morning of 12 December. Photo: NikVestiSubsequently, on 23 December, the suspects in the scandal concerning the organisation of catering for schoolchildren in Mykolaiv were served with notices of suspicion.
The head of the enterprise, Iryna Stoieva, was charged with violating the rules and regulations established to prevent infectious diseases, which could have led to their spread, as well as with an attempted misappropriation of property through abuse of office during martial law on a particularly large scale (Part 1 of Article 325, Part 3 of Article 15, Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
Petro Vasheniak was notified of suspicion of completed attempted embezzlement of another person's property by abusing his official position under martial law (Part 2 of Article 15, Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
On 29 December, the court was to choose a preventive measure for the director of Prossecco 8 LLC, Iryna Stoieva, and the head of the COP, Petro Vasheniak. The prosecutor's office emphasised the need to arrest both of them. However, on 30 December, the Central District Court of Mykolaiv postponed the hearing on the choice of a preventive measure for the defendants in the school catering case.
Who is the company that received ₴14 million for school meals connected to?
According to data from the YouControl system, the company Prosecco 8, which was selected as a subcontractor, was registered in Mykolaiv in 2023 and has a statutory capital of one thousand hryvnias. The company's activities are multifaceted: they include providing mobile catering services, renting sports and leisure equipment, operating sports facilities, providing hairdressing and beauty salon services, and others. The owner of the company is Iryna Anatoliivna Stoieva.
NikVesti found out that Iryna Stoieva is also associated with another organisation — BBV 2021 LLC. The register of court decisions contains a 2023 court ruling on bringing her to administrative responsibility for violating the procedure established by law for conducting settlements in the field of trade, public catering, and services. Iryna Stoieva is listed in the document as the manager of BBV 2021 LLC. The case concerned unaccounted-for surplus alcohol and cigarettes in a café in the Zavodskyi district of Mykolaiv.
The YouControl system indicates that the head of this Mykolaiv limited liability company «BBV 2021» is Borys Valentynovych Berestnev, who is the son of the head of the Propozytsia faction in the Mykolaiv City Council and the head of the Inhulskyi District Administration, Hanna Remennikova.
It should be noted that Hanna Remennikova's family owns two popular restaurants in Mykolaiv: Daily and Daily Sport. According to information obtained by the editorial staff of NikVesti, Iryna Stoieva works at one of them.
The decision to involve a private company in organising school meals was previously commented on by the mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych. In his Telegram channel, the mayor announced that the city authorities would check the effectiveness of the catering service within a month.
Press conference on the incident with school meals: main statements
Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych said that they knew about the contractor's violations in the preparation and delivery of school meals as early as Monday, 8 December, but did not respond publicly because he was at a municipal forum that day.
According to the mayor, some schools refused to accept this food, and some of the prepared meals were not sent from the Prossecco 8 company at all.
When asked by journalists why Oleksandr Sienkevych only reacted to the incident after the publication of the video by NikVesti, the mayor explained that he «did not have the physical strength» to do so.
In turn, Iryna Stoieva, director of Prossecco 8 LLC, whose company was supposed to provide catering services for children in Mykolaiv schools, explained that on the first day, there was a breakdown in production due to power outages.
According to Stoieva, the company experienced a force majeure situation. Due to the lack of electricity, the generator did not work and the equipment broke down.
In addition, she said that sanitary standards were violated by the cook himself, who decided to open the thermal box and stir the couscous in the open air. He has already been punished for this.
This material was created within the framework of the project «Supporting the Sustainability of Ukrainian Media», which is implemented by the international organization Internews with financial support from Sweden. The content of the material is the sole responsibility of the NGO «Mykolaiv Media Hub» and does not necessarily reflect the official position of Sweden or Internews.