PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE DEMANDS 1 BILLION FROM CONTRACTOR OF UNFINISHED KURSK BATTLE MEMORIAL

PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE DEMANDS 1 BILLION FROM CONTRACTOR OF UNFINISHED KURSK BATTLE MEMORIAL

PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE DEMANDS 1 BILLION FROM CONTRACTOR OF UNFINISHED KURSK BATTLE MEMORIAL
A large–scale historical project, the Kursk Battle Memorial, has developed a legal and financial history. The prosecutor's office is demanding the return of budget funds, and the contractor is facing bankruptcy and criminal consequences for its managers.

The arbitration received a claim from the prosecutor's office. In it, the supervisory authority asked to recognize the invalidity of the state contract concluded with the OKU "UKS of the Kursk region". The defendant in the case (no.A35-6880/2025) is also a contractor, the Capital Construction Management (LLC UKS). 

The company undertook the construction of the Kursk Battle memorial complex, receiving 299 million rubles as an advance. However, various violations were identified during the implementation of the project, and a significant amount of the advance payment remained undeveloped. Now the prosecutor's office demands to recover 1,150,232,316 rubles from UKS. The hearing in the case is scheduled for October 13. 

The contract for the construction of the memorial object was concluded by the OKU with an LLC selected without competitive procedures. According to the information received by the prosecutor's office, the construction company did not have the proper resources to carry out the contract. The company only simulated turnover by actively involving affiliated structures under subcontracting agreements. 

Despite the scale of the project and its historical significance, the obligations under the contract have not been fully fulfilled. The construction, estimated at 1 billion rubles, could not be completed, and the company itself turned out to be a defendant in a bankruptcy lawsuit. In addition, one of the officials was accused of evading tax payments for a large amount (paragraph "b" of part 2 of art. 199 of the Criminal Code). If proven guilty, he may be sentenced to five years in a penal colony. 

The memorial was conceived as one of the key sites dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War (WWII). The foundation stone of the complex was laid on February 22, 2022. The authorities organized an international competition to select the appearance of the memorial. Two projects were selected out of 17 proposals received. Their phased implementation was planned. 

By the day of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Kursk, only the first stage of construction was completed. 923 million rubles were spent on it. However, the head of the region then announced that the construction of the second stage with a 40-meter structure would not be completed on time (until May 9). The reason is the lack of necessary budget allocations and the tight implementation deadlines. 

The historic battle to which the memorial is dedicated took place between July 5 and August 23, 1943. The battles became the decisive stage of the Second World War. About 4 million people took part in them. The Red Army's counteroffensive ended with the liberation of Orel, Belgorod and Kharkov.

03.10.2025