Is it a fantastic getaway or spoiled food and mold? Officials see no issues in complaints about the renowned sanatorium.

A scandal is unfolding around the free vacation for children from military families, including those of fallen soldiers, funded by the Kyiv budget. For some, the trip to a camp operating at one of the sanatoriums in Transcarpathia turned out to be a complete disappointment due to the condition of the rooms, the quality of food, lack of medical assistance, and even bullying. There are plenty of negative reviews online, while the organizers of the wellness program – the Kyiv City State Administration – mention only two complaints, and the administration of the sanatorium shares gratitude from children and adults.

"Telegraph" learned how the vacation for privileged categories is organized and heard opinions from both the vacationers and those providing them services.

Mold in the Rooms and Bread Cutlets

The issue of the quality of free wellness for children from privileged categories, offered by the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA), was raised on her Facebook page by writer-translator and volunteer Tamara Goriha Zernya. According to her, after receiving a message from her child's school about the opportunity for such a vacation at the "Carpathians" sanatorium (located in the village of the same name in the Mukachevo district of the Transcarpathia region, on the territory of the former residence of Count Shenborn), she became curious about what was being said about it online.

"I haven't seen such trash in reviews for a long time, – wrote Tamara. – In Kyiv, these vouchers were offered to the children of military personnel and the children of the deceased. A special, vulnerable category of children who need attention, respect, and careful treatment. Instead, they were housed in a pigsty, fed slop, and left without medical and educational support."

Indeed, on the sanatorium's Google page, vacationers predominantly recall their time there in a negative light. Complaints primarily concern the condition of the living rooms and their cleanliness. For instance, Inessa Nesevry, who was there with her child in August 2024, noted that upon check-in, the room was uncleaned: "There was dust in the room, old bottles… The only thing was toilet paper and clean towels – certainly not first-rate," the woman writes.

A similar situation is described by Alina Podolyanko: "First, we were settled in room 532 in building 1. Not only was the room uncleaned, but it also smelled of urine, the toilet smelled too, and all the walls were covered in mold." Viktoriya Sabynska mentions that the plumbing was in a state that could only make one "cry," and it needed to be replaced a long time ago. She also points out that instead of being placed in 2-3 bed rooms, mothers with children were offered rooms designed for larger numbers of people, equipped with bunk beds. There are also mentions that living conditions could be improved for an additional fee, of course, unofficially.

Capital resident Natalia, who spoke with "Telegraph," says that she first visited the "Carpathians" sanatorium with her child in 2018 as part of the KCSA program "Care. Towards Kyivans." She recalls that the conditions were more or less acceptable, except for the mold in the bathroom and some issues with check-in.

– We didn't expect to see luxury in 2023 when we were offered to go to the sanatorium a second time, – says the interlocutor. – We just took the opportunity to leave Kyiv, to rest from worries and shelling, but we were shocked by the condition of the room in the first building where we were placed this time. The furniture was "worn out," in particular, the bed slats on the second tier were broken, the floor covering was dirty, and the shower curtain was moldy (though the last one was promptly replaced) and so on. Overall, the sanatorium is not adapted for children; it is unclear how a camp can exist there.

The second issue that vacationers, whether they paid for their stay or used budget funds, point out is the quality of the food. The menu is described as monotonous and bland, with insufficient seating at tables, sometimes dirty dishes, and so on. "For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, almost every day there was a bread cutlet with rice, mashed potatoes, or buckwheat. Every day it was the same. The plates were always dirty, and the spoons and forks were covered in some grease. Once, a fly was found in the soup, and then for lunch, they brought a bitten leg. This means that what the first shift didn't eat, the second shift finished. The food was always cold, even though we arrived 15-20 minutes early. There was no drinking water except for that in the canteen; we had to go to the spring," Alina Podolyanko describes this aspect.

- The food is a separate story; I have never seen worse than in the "Carpathians" sanatorium, – confirms the situation described in online reviews, and our interlocutor Natalia adds. – The menu is monotonous – mostly porridge (sometimes potato puree as a substitute) and chicken, which is cooked in the same recipe, so we didn't eat it at home for a long time afterward. Also, there were bread cutlets, vegetable soups made with water, occasionally borscht, cucumber, and tomato a few times, and sometimes an apple or plum, yogurt or kefir. And this continued in a cycle for 21 days. The food is tasteless, very bland; perhaps for the elderly people who rest here, this is acceptable, but it is definitely not a children's menu.

Interesting Leisure or Lack of Control

A separate topic of reviews is the functioning of the children's camp based at the sanatorium, which, by the way, has not been operational for long, as the "Carpathians" has always been a trade union health resort. A year ago, for example, "children's voices" were mentioned on the official portal of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine. At that time, there were children from Cherkasy, Kyiv, Transcarpathia, Donetsk, and other regions. As the authors of the article assure, they lived in comfortable rooms, were provided with 5 meals a day, medical care, and had interesting leisure activities – numerous cultural and sports events and excursions.

However, this is how it looks from another perspective. For example, Tatyana Kapinosova, whose children vacationed in the camp based at the sanatorium in July 2024, noted the overall poor organization of the vacation. She pointed out issues of safety (children living in the same building as adult vacationers, which prevented them from moving freely around the territory) and the low qualification of the staff working with the children. "Young counselors cannot engage or organize the children. Discipline based on respect is absent in the group. They cannot rein in offenders who bully the younger ones. Information is not provided to the group of parents regarding what the child was engaged in and what is planned for the next day. Parents cannot find contacts for the counselors for half the shift; it's their own fault," Tatyana writes.

Another mother, Irina Makukha, notes in the comments on Facebook that children are not allowed to charge their phones. "They returned sick; the youngest lost 7 kg in three weeks, complaining about cold water, washing their heads with cold water, poor food, and rude treatment from adult staff," the woman describes her overall impressions.

Meanwhile, adults vacationing at the sanatorium complain about the lack of control over the children in the camp. As a result, loud music and dancing until late disturb others' sleep, and so on.

"Telegraph" summarized the problematic issues outlined in the reviews and attempted to get answers from the administration of the sanatorium. The director of the children's camp, Alexander Svatyenko, contacted us, stating that he had seen the negative comments. He questioned one of them with a photo of a rusty shower head, noting that such items have not been in the rooms for a long time. He also emphasized that cleaning in the living rooms is carried out every two days.

– Of course, when you work with a large number of people, there will always be those who remain dissatisfied, – the interlocutor believes. – The director also emphasized that all issues arising in the camp's operation are resolved promptly, as he is in constant contact with counselors and children. Regarding bullying, Svatyenko reported that one incident indeed occurred last year (but whether it refers to the situation described above is unclear – Ed.), and the juvenile police were informed about it; the conflict was subsequently resolved, and the children interacted normally until the end of the shift.

In contrast to the criticism, the camp director sent several positive reviews with thanks from children and parents from the internal chat. However, he was hesitant to provide more specifics during the phone conversation, as he