Ukrainian infrastructure builder Autostrada has urged the government to pay its debts for protecting energy facilities against drone strikes instead of funding road projects.
Company founder and chief executive Maksym Shkil said the state owes about 15 billion hryvnias to Autostrada, Ukrainian news outlet Espreso reported. Despite this debt, the government continues building a new four-lane section of the N-31 highway with a budget of 10 billion hryvnias.
The disputed highway runs through the Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava regions. Shkil said the state already spent more than 1 billion hryvnias on routine repairs for the highway in 2026, leaving the existing roadway in ideal condition. He added that constructing an entirely new four-lane road beside a quality highway was completely unnecessary and represented inappropriate spending.
Disputed Highway Spending
Shkil stressed that state funds should be redirected immediately to energy defence. According to the executive, the government must secure financing for completed fortification works and rely on companies that have proven their ability to deliver results under wartime conditions.
Autostrada has continued construction work across critical infrastructure sites despite the government debts, Shkil said. The company has built engineering defences around 15 electrical energy facilities to shield vital equipment from enemy drone attacks.
Substations and transformers are vital parts of the electrical grid, stepping down high-voltage electricity for distribution to homes and businesses across Ukraine. Russian aerial attacks have repeatedly targeted these distribution nodes to disrupt power supplies.
Proven Wartime Energy Defence
Shkil noted that Autostrada fortifications had already preserved power supplies during heavy bombardment. At one electrical substation protected by the company, defensive barriers absorbed more than 20 direct hits, allowing transformers to stay functional and maintaining power for hundreds of thousands of residents. He said completed structures delivered concrete results during wartime, rather than social media posts, videos, or empty promises.
The builder also appealed publicly to Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi, urging him to halt spending on the N-31 highway and other capital construction projects. Shkil said that curbing those capital expenses would free up the financial resources needed to pay off state debts to contractors.
Worker Casualties and Equipment Losses
Wartime construction work has taken a heavy human toll on the company. Shkil said five Autostrada employees have been killed and more than 20 injured while carrying out their duties to protect energy installations over recent years.
Russian attacks have also destroyed or damaged roughly 50 pieces of specialized machinery and heavy equipment. Shkil stated that no one was compensating the company for these losses, warning that the state war-risk compensation system was not working and calling on the government to take responsibility.
