Foreign experience explored by 19 department directors of the Kyiv City State Administration
Where did the senior officials of Vitali Klitschko travel and at whose expense? In total, the geography of trips in 2024 has been traditionally wide-ranging: from the USA to Portugal, the UK, and the Netherlands. What was the purpose of these journeys? Mostly to participate in conferences and exhibitions; they engaged in various negotiations.
According to information obtained by our editorial team from the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA), 19 (!) department directors were on foreign business trips in 2024.
Municipal Security in Barcelona
However, the purpose of some trips remains unknown to us journalists, as a number of department heads did not provide such information to our editorial team despite instructions from KCSA. For instance, Roman Tkachuk, the Director of the Municipal Security Department of KCSA, traveled to Barcelona, Spain, from May 11 to 17 under the city-targeted program "Strengthening and Developing International Relations"! The amount of budget funds spent is unknown, as KCSA prefers to remain silent.
3 Kashtan NEWS previously reported: it seems that for capital officials, Barcelona is as sweet as honey. Specifically, from February 24, 2022, to September 27, 2023, officials such as Vitali Klitschko, Vladyslav Andronov, Valentyn Mondryivskyi, Petro Olenych, Maryna Honda, Serhiy Anzhiyak, Ruslan Kandybor, Oksana Koltyk, Oleg Polovynko, and Volodymyr Repik had the fortune to step onto Spanish soil, carrying documents for their business trips in their suitcases. In total, ten capital officials traveled during this period to study the Spanish experience of self-government, at least according to the documents that directed them to the Mediterranean coast.
In previous years, "waves" of managers from Kyiv also landed in the capital of Catalonia. A well-trodden path, to say the least. For example, in November 2021, the head of the KCSA apparatus, Dmytro Zahumennyi, and the director of the Kyiv Contact Center, Larysa Mahalova, visited Barcelona.
4 It would be very interesting to know how Roman Tkachuk "strengthened and developed international relations" in Barcelona at the expense of Kyiv taxpayers. Perhaps he was discussing how many shelters in our capital need urgent repairs?
This year, Myroslava Smirnova, the Director of the Department of Public Communications of KCSA, also took the well-trodden path to Barcelona. She was there, as well as in Prague, from April 29 to May 5. Why was the trip necessary? To present "Kyiv's achievements to the international community..." at a conference, and to "establish partnerships" with municipalities of other countries and non-governmental organizations. Smirnova also visited Brussels, where she participated in a conference for experience sharing and collaboration.
From June 17 to 26, Natalia Melnyk, the head of the Department of Economics and Investments, also visited Barcelona.
5 In this wonderful Spanish city, Victoria Itskovych, the Director of the Department of Information and Communication Technologies, visited from April 29 to May 5 at her own expense.
Super Important Promotions
Overseas journeys also attracted the attention of city officials. For example, from July 12 to 22, Myroslava Smirnova attended an international conference in Tampa, USA, on organizing tourist destinations. Following that, she visited Portugal to participate in negotiations and experience exchange. Subsequently, she traveled to London from November 2 to 10 to take part in an international tourism exhibition.
Acting Director of the Department Dmytro Ruban notes that in 2024, no expenditures for business trips were made by the Department. So who financed all these trips? Did Myroslava Smirnova pay out of her own pocket? Or was it covered by the hosting party? If so, please inform us.
6 Let’s consider some aspects of the foreign business trips of Marina Radova, the head of the Tourism and Promotions Department of KCSA. In response to our editorial inquiry, we were informed:
“In 2024, with the support and invitation of international partners, as well as the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine, to promote the tourist potential of the capital of Ukraine on the international stage, for the subsequent revival of tourist flows to Kyiv and the possibility of restoring its tourist infrastructure, as well as MICE potential after the end of martial law, a series of events were held to provide current information regarding the state of the tourism sector in the city, in which the head of the Department Radova M.S. participated, including as a speaker, in several of the most influential international exhibitions and tourism events of various formats...”
7 Marina Radova's travels took her to Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the USA, Portugal, and the UK.
What amounts were allocated from the city treasury for Radova's trips?
For the trip to Germany for the International Tourism Exhibition "ITB Berlin 2024" – 90,773 hryvnias.
The trip to the USAID Summit on Resilience and Innovation in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) cost 16,794 hryvnias.
Radova's business trip to a conference in the USA cost 45,000 hryvnias from the city budget.
The trip to Portugal for "participation in negotiations aimed at strengthening cooperation and experience exchange in the field of information policy, tourism, ensuring effective interaction and communication with the media, and maintaining dialogue with local communities" was also financed from KCSA funds. However, the specific amount was somehow "forgotten" to be mentioned. A minor detail? No! This is taxpayer money! This matter should be clear and transparent.
Marina Radova also attended the International Tourism Exhibition "World Travel Market 2024" in the UK from November 2 to 10. A total of 119,080 hryvnias was spent.
Thus, the city government under Klitschko did not spare budget funds for officials' trips. For example, the Director of the Finance Department, Volodymyr Repik, received 111,000 hryvnias for his trip to Luxembourg and London from April 17 to 25.
8 Analyzing the overall picture of foreign business trips, we see that the managers of KCSA Head Vitali Klitschko traveled almost every month. The Director of the Department of Social and Veteran Policy of KCSA, Ruslan Svitlyi, frequently packed his bags for distant countries: in May, June, and July.
In total, if we calculate how many days all these officials were absent from their workplaces due to business trips, it amounts to a significant period. Meanwhile, during these days, they were regularly paid a substantial salary along with bonuses.
“Strengthening and developing international relations” somewhere in warm and sunny Barcelona or participating in a tourism exhibition in London is "hard" and "stressful" work during wartime.
BOHDAN TUR
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