On 16 July 2026, the Odesa Regional Military Administration the Mykolaiv-based investigative outlet Nikcenter with information about state and local budget spending on the construction of fortifications and non-explosive engineering barriers in Odesa region, according to Nikcenter.
Nikcenter had requested information on how much money had been allocated to fortification construction in the region since the start of Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion. The outlet said it wanted to show that fortification works and the protection of Odesa region had been ongoing since 2022 and were not linked to recent false claims about alleged Russian plans to encircle Odesa.
In its request, the newsroom asked the Odesa administration to identify the main budget holders, the customers of the works and the total value of the contracts. Nikcenter stressed that it had not requested the exact locations, coordinates, technical characteristics, placement schemes or any other information that could harm Ukraine鈥檚 defence capability or national security.
The Odesa Regional Military Administration refused to provide the data, describing the requested information as 鈥渟ecret expenditure鈥�. It argued that disclosing the information could harm national security, territorial integrity and public order, and that the potential damage outweighed the public interest in receiving the information.
Nikcenter said the requested information would contribute to public oversight of budget spending, help prevent possible abuse and corruption risks, and support accountability of public authorities.
Institute of Mass Information lawyer Volodymyr Zelenchuk , arguing that the administration had wrongly equated financing for fortification construction with spending on organising and maintaining resistance activities. He said Ukrainian law already requires certain information about fortification contracts, including the customer, subject of procurement and contract price, to be published, meaning such information cannot be restricted.