A café in Mykolaiv, opened by a soldier’s widow, may be demolished — a court case is underway regarding the illegality of the kiosk

The team at the ‘Kit Mykyta’ café. Photo: NikVesti

The «Kit Mykyta» café in the centre of Mykolaiv, opened by the widow of a fallen soldier, may be demolished following the conclusion of a legal dispute over the legality of the temporary structure’s installation. Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych stated that the owner of the building was aware of the risk of demolition but nevertheless let the premises to the businesswoman, describing such an act as «inhuman».

This came to light during a staff meeting on 15 June, according to NikVesti.

Yevhen Yuzvak, head of the city council’s legal department, reported that in May the Supreme Court quashed the rulings of the courts of first instance and appeal, which had gone against the city council, and referred the case back for a retrial.

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«I consider the prospects to be good. We appealed to the Supreme Court in May. The Supreme Court overturned the rulings of the courts of first and appeal instances, which were unfavourable to us; it said that, in essence, we are in the right, and has now referred the case back for a retrial. We are starting to hear the case again,» said Roman Yuzvak.

According to him, whilst the case was before the Supreme Court, the owner managed to resell the property.

«The defendant is evading responsibility; he has resold the property, just as we had anticipated. We asked the Supreme Court to prohibit this, but it did not. Three days before the Supreme Court hearing, he sold the property — from one of his companies to another of his own companies, of which he is the ultimate beneficiary,» he noted.

Yevhen Yuzvak also reported that the current owner is the company «Estetik», whereas the property previously belonged to the firm «Rosh-Land». At the same time, according to Opendatabot, both companies are registered at the same address and are linked to a single beneficial owner — Viktor Krylov.

Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych stated that what outrages him most is that the owner let the premises to the widow of a fallen soldier, knowing full well about the legal wrangling surrounding the building.

«The worst thing about this situation is that the owner knew the property was the subject of legal proceedings and would eventually be demolished, as it had been erected illegally. Despite this, he let it to the wife of the fallen hero, who opened a café there. And now, once we reach a final court ruling, it turns out that this establishment will have to be demolished. The person was fully aware of all the risks, but went ahead with it anyway. That’s why I don’t even know what to call him — simply a beast. Unfortunately, there may be many more stories like this, as we have a great many families of fallen defenders,» said the mayor.

At the same time, he appealed to business owners to check documents thoroughly before renting property or investing in a business.

«If you’re investing money somewhere, don’t be lazy — check whether there are any court cases involving the property or any encumbrances. We are in favour of business development and of supporting the families of fallen heroes and veterans. But be careful that your status is not used against you,» emphasised Oleksandr Sienkevych.

As a reminder, this concerns the small retail unit at the junction of Soborna Street and Tsentralnyi Avenue, where the «Kit Mykyta» café is currently operating. The café was opened by Maryna Muzyka — the widow of a fallen serviceman. In an interview with NikVesti, she explained that she had opened the café to realise a dream she shared with her husband of running their own business. The name of the café was chosen in honour of her husband’s call sign — «Mykyta» — and the space itself has become not only a place for visitors but also a hub for supporting the families of military personnel, veterans and the loved ones of fallen defenders.