Within the project Stronger Together: Transparency and Anti-Corruption, we have prepared a new selection of investigative materials created by 18 participants of the additional support tranche. These texts may serve as examples for other newsrooms and a source of ideas for those working on issues of transparency, government oversight, and integrity within their communities.
These materials demonstrate how local journalists uncover facts, analyze data, ask the questions that matter to their regions, and refocus attention on areas where transparency is critically needed. Each investigation is a concrete story based on documents, open data, testimonies, and consultations with the project’s mentors.
Below is a series of published investigations, arranged by publication date.
Chernihiv Media Group
The Toxic Zone of Chernihiv: The Accumulation Ponds Everyone Keeps Silent About Remain a Threat
Team mentor: Nataliia Lazarovych, Bihus.Info
Date of publication: 17 November 2025
The war has had a significant impact on the environment. Combustion products from numerous fires, destroyed facilities, explosive materials, and mined territories are consequences we are dealing with now — and will continue to face in the post-war period. At the same time, there are environmental threats that have existed for years and still remain unresolved.
Such is the situation in Chernihiv. At the city landfill in the Masany district, liquid toxic waste accumulation ponds have existed for several decades, containing up to 130,000 cubic meters of hazardous substances. These toxic materials were generated as a result of industrial activities in the regional center during the Soviet period.
Odessa Life
The Next Downpour Without Casualties: What Odesa Authorities Have Done to Prevent a Repeat of the September 30 Tragedy
Team mentor: Alisa Yurchenko, The Kyiv Independent
Publication date: 17 November 2025
On 29 October, the official website of the National Police reported that notices of suspicion had been issued to nine individuals: the former mayor of Odesa (Hennadiy Trukhanov), two of his deputies, officials of the Odesa City Council departments, as well as the director and several employees of a municipal enterprise. They are accused of official negligence that led to the deaths of people during the 30 September downpour. The charge — Part 3 of Article 367 — carries a penalty of up to eight years of imprisonment.
Law enforcement authorities state that the tragedy occurred due to improper maintenance of the city’s stormwater drainage system.
The following day, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv imposed preventive measures on the suspects: either 24-hour or nighttime house arrest, except for the Director of the Department of Municipal Security, who was remanded in custody with the option of bail.
According to a source in the regional prosecutor’s office cited by «OZh», two additional expert examinations are ongoing as part of the investigation and may affect the number of suspects.
Read the continuation of the story
18000
Arrest Me If You Can: How Cherkasy Utility Services Funnel Millions to Their Own Business
Team mentor: Maksym Opanasenko, Bihus.Info
Publication date: 19 November 2025
The next time you feel the urge to complain about your job, think of entrepreneur Roman Komlyk. This autumn, he will have to prune trees and maintain a nearly 10-hectare park in one of Cherkasy’s districts entirely on his own. At least, that is what is stated in the contract signed with Komlyk at the end of October by the director of the municipal enterprise «Dyrentsiia parkiv», who is also a deputy of the Cherkasy City Council, Hennadii Shevchenko.
According to the agreement, Komlyk will receive more than one million hryvnias for this solo performance. Why the irony? Because over the past year, municipal officials have already «poured» almost 6 million hryvnias into this sole proprietor. Komlyk has become the «favorite» of an enterprise that employs more than 150 staff members, yet repeatedly outsources various tasks to this one «universal» individual. Why do they need him, and where a potential conflict of interest may be hiding — the report by «18000» investigates.
4Vlada
Secrets of Saint-Tropez: How a Recreation Base That Was Supposed to Be Demolished Became an Asset of a Prosecutor’s Friend
Team mentor: Oleksandra Gubytska, NGL.media
Date of publication: 20 November 2025
In 2023, the Rivne Regional Prosecutor’s Office obtained a court decision ordering the demolition of part of the recreation base «Sen-Trope», located near a reservoir outside Rivne. The dining hall–restaurant and 54 gazebos were to be dismantled. Yet two years have passed, and the facility not only remains in place — it was actively receiving visitors this summer. And it appears that no one ever intended to carry out the demolition.
The secret behind the base’s resilience may be surprisingly simple. Ownership of part of «Sen-Trope» suddenly passed to a company belonging to a friend of the regional prosecutor, and later — to a relative of an official who worked in the Department of Strategic Investigations of the police and is now a deputy head of a unit within the Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine.
How three years of work by investigators and prosecutors ended with new owners of «Sen-Trope» was examined by «4Vlada».
Eighteen teams of regional media are participating in the project. You can read the first series and the initial selection of materials here: Truth in Detail. A Review of Investigative Journalism within the Project Stronger Together.
The second selection of materials is available here: Stronger Together: The Second Wave of Investigative Reports from Regional Media.
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The Stronger Together: Transparency and Anti-Corruption program is implemented by AIRPPU in partnership with WAN-IFRA and the Norwegian Media Association (MBL), with the support of Norway.
