A damaged playground, old benches and overgrown bushes: this is what the Narodnyi Sad park in Mykolaiv looks like

A dilapidated playground, old benches and overgrown shrubs: this is what ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park in Mykolaiv looks like. Photo: NikVesti

The ‘Narodnyi Sad’ park in Mykolaiv remains in a state of neglect. Despite attempts by the authorities to return the park to the city, it has been leased by InterShow Ltd for over 20 years. The company has recently undergone a change in management.

A reporter from NikVesti takes a look at what «Narodnyi Sad» looks like today.

At the children’s playground near the main entrance, the structures have damaged wooden parts and sharp metal edges, posing a danger to visitors.

Condition of the playground, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

Condition of the playground in June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

Modern lighting and benches are installed only along the central avenue. Meanwhile, in the other half of the park, there are dilapidated Soviet-era benches, the area is overgrown with grass, some of the trees have died, and the public toilets are closed. As a result, visitors are using the surrounding area as a toilet.

Only a few areas are well-maintained, where private bouncy castles and a summer café operate. However, the children’s maze, which was in operation in previous years, is no longer in the park. According to park staff, it will not be reinstalled. And the large trampoline is deflated during hot weather because it gets too hot.

Who leases the site

The entire site and the park’s property complex were transferred in 2003 to the private company InterShow LLC for a term ending on 31 December 2050. This was reported by the executive committee of the Mykolaiv City Council in response to an enquiry from NikVesti.

The agreement provides for the use of a plot measuring 10,000 square metres at 5 3rd Voienna Street. In addition to land within the nature reserve fund, the company was granted the use of 885 metres of fencing, the concrete plinth of the dismantled Petrovskyi monument, as well as 1,384 trees, shrubs and other green plantings covering an area of 1,148 square metres.

Condition of the ‘Narodnyi Sad’ park, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park in June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park in June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

Under the law, the day-to-day maintenance and improvement of the park are entirely the responsibility of the current tenant, as the property will remain in their use for a further 24 years.

According to the OpenDataBot platform, there have recently been changes to the management and ownership structure of InterShow LLC. Maryna Mytrofanova has replaced the former head, Olena Bataieva, as the new director, whilst Olha Tochylkina has been registered as the sole owner with a 100 per cent stake in the authorised capital, which amounts to 1 million hryvnias.

History of changes to registration details. Screenshot from OpenDataBot

At the same time, the company’s financial figures for the last three years indicate that it is operating at a loss (in 2025, the loss rose to 109,800 hryvnias), and only one employee is officially registered with the company.

At the same time, a discrepancy still appears in the landlord’s internal records — Olena Bataieva is still listed there as the contact person and director.

Financial figures, screenshot from OpenDataBot

The city council has also officially confirmed that it has no information regarding any legal challenges to the decisions on the basis of which this contract was concluded.

Response to a request to the Executive Committee of the Mykolaiv City Council.

Response to a request to the Executive Committee of the Mykolaiv City Council.

Background

The green space has a long history: the park was founded in 1930, and in 1972 it was granted the status of a monument to landscape architecture. During the Soviet period, the site was known as Petrovskyi Park, and it was only in 2015 that it was renamed ‘People’s Garden’ as part of the decommunisation process.

The transfer of the complex to private ownership took place following decisions by the city council in 2004–2005.

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Active maintenance of the grounds ceased following the death of Leonid Podolskyi, the first director of the company «InterShow», in 2009.

Attempts by Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych in 2016 to terminate the contract came to nothing — the city council revoked the decision due to a change in the ownership of the tenant company.

According to «Svidok.info», in previous years, actual control over the company was linked to the politician Vladyslav Chaika, and the park was repeatedly used for political campaigning.

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park in June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodny Sad’ Park, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park, June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

The state of ‘Narodnyi Sad’ Park in June 2026. Photo: NikVesti

It is worth noting that NikVesti showed what «Yunist» Park looked like in June. Despite new plantings and the installation of several benches, visitors have pointed out the uncut grass, litter and old children’s play areas in need of refurbishment.

The Mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, has proposed involving the business community in the development of «Yunist» Park. According to him, the area could be divided into separate zones and handed over to entrepreneurs for improvement under legal terms.