The beach complex on the Odesa coast once again found itself at the center of a scandal. The conflict between the owner of the popular Kaleton beach and the developer Yuriy Degas with his competitors and the city authorities caused heated discussions, protests and noise in the media. The Odesa City Council announced its intention to modernize the sports areas of the coast and improve conditions on public beaches, but Degas probably perceived such activity as a threat to his business. So he successfully used the fact that next to his "Caleton" there is an inclusive city beach that he developed, and started a fight, which was immediately joined by various public activists.
Some of them were outraged by the alleged "attack on the disabled". others - on the contrary, the ostentatious "care" for them on the part of Degas.
All these manipulations were commented on by the mayor of Odesa, Gennady Trukhanov, who said that no one is going to close or destroy the inclusive beach, and the territory improvement project will be submitted for public discussion.
The publication "View from Odessa", in turn, believes that Yuriy Degas is specially fanning the scandal to divert attention from the problems in his business.
In theirs article. it is told in detail that Yuriy Degas' "Focus Logistics" company currently owns a section of the beach, according to the technical documentation - "shore strengthening structures in the form of artificial sandy sections of the beach, designed to provide vacationers with paid services of increased comfort." Degas rented them from the Odessa City Council until 2027. The total area of the beach is 2800 square meters. m, of which 1200 sq. m are formally allocated for an inclusive beach. However, in practice, this division is conditional: the inclusive plot occupies only a small part of the territory and actually performs the role of a "social shield", allowing the owners to defend themselves against attacks on the "non-commercial" component of the project.
Of course, despite the widely advertised emphasis on inclusiveness, the main income comes from "Caleton" - aimed at paying vacationers. The inclusive beach is rather a necessary "showcase" designed to give the Kaleton complex the image of a socially responsible business.
In addition, it is a convenient trump card for expanding your possessions and business — yes, under the guise of "protection against destruction" of the famous sports ground next to the beach, you can significantly increase the territory and control over the entire beach area.
Therefore, when the city decides to expand and modernize the sports field (and at a recent briefing, representatives of the sports community unanimously advocated its reconstruction to make the site safer and more convenient for classes), Yuriy Degas declares that he would like to personally engage in this project.
The publication does not rule out that in this way the businessman seeks to secure the leased plot for himself, without planning to dismantle the summer structures on the Kaleton beach. As you know, according to the law, he is obliged to vacate the beach area at the end of the season, leaving only 10% of the equipment on it, and the rest to be removed by next summer, in order to ensure free access to the sea for the people of Odessa.
Journalists found out that Degas' coastal "business" often finds itself in the area of attention of law enforcement agencies - the Odesa regional prosecutor's office has already twice tried to terminate the contract with the company "Focus Logistics", which leases this part of the beach. Prosecutors pointed to a number of violations of the terms of the lease, including construction debris scattered on the beach, unauthorized structures, and ignoring the requirements to maintain cleanliness and order on the beach.
In response to the prosecution's claims, Degas predictably created a media frenzy, filling the regional media with stories that the actions of law enforcement officers were endangering an important social project for the disabled, and both times the prosecution was forced to back down.
However, as reported in the media and social networks, "Kaleton" had enough scandals without the prosecutor's office - for example, once after visiting the beach complex, 34 people were immediately admitted to the hospital. Visitors complained about the unsanitary conditions of the beach restaurant, published photos of how found cockroaches in their food, and then they found a hidden camera. The case was widely covered in the all-Ukrainian mass media - allegedly, in the beach media a camera was installed in the dressing room of "Kaletona", which filmed visitors.
Of course, it is much easier for Degas to fend off such attacks under the auspices of the defense of inclusiveness — skillfully playing on sympathy for people with disabilities, and even more so, for veteran heroes who defended the country.
Currently, this topic is particularly acute and painful for Ukrainian society. Whether it is fair to use it as an advertising and informational "talisman" for one's own business is a rhetorical question.
We would like to believe that the owner of "Kaleton" does not seek to use the inclusive project to promote his own political interests, under the guise of caring for people with disabilities. Although, by all accounts, under the guise of "socially responsible business", it is now increasing its presence in the media, gathering the support of the townspeople to gain public sympathy. A bet on helping the disabled is not only about business, but also about creating the image of a "philanthropist", which, as you know, always plays into the hands of political ambitions, strengthens positions and adds votes in elections. This is already our country...
