Government expects 10-14 million Winter Support recipients

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine expects from 10 to 14 million recipients of one-time state cash assistance under the Winter Support program of UAH 1,000 for adults and children, as well as UAH 6,500 for the most vulnerable categories, with expected costs of UAH 14 billion, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko has said.

"Last year, more than 14 million people used this support. This is assistance for those who do not have enough for utilities, additional funds for families (allocation of funds for children). We expect that about 10 million Ukrainians will use the program (in the winter of 2025-2026 - IF-U), of which up to 3 million applications will be submitted for children," she said at a meeting with journalists on Monday.

According to the Prime Minister, as before, people who are in temporarily occupied territories or abroad will not be able to receive funds, and applications for children can be submitted separately with a birth certificate.

As in the previous year, these funds can be spent on paying for utilities, medicines, books, and sent to charity accounts of the Security and Defense Forces or volunteer funds.

The approximate start date for submitting applications is November 15, 2025, and the possibility of submitting them is planned to close on December 15.

"The Ministry of Social Policy is focused on supporting people in difficult life circumstances, families with children, internally displaced persons, people with disabilities and the elderly. In total, about 15 million people receive one form or another of state support in Ukraine. The funds provided for payments of UAH 1,000 take into account their needs," said the Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine Denys Uliutin.

This year, the government also allocated UAH 4.4 billion from the state budget for payments of UAH 6,500 for "those who need support the most." This payment will be available to children under guardianship or care, children with disabilities, children in foster families and DBST (including children with disabilities), people with Group I disabilities among IDPs, children from low-income families under 18, ⁠single pensioners who receive a care allowance.

Uliutin explained that the funds will be credited to a current account with a special use regime or to the Diia.Kartka app. They can be used within 180 calendar days from the date of crediting. The money can be spent on clothing, shoes, medicines or vitamins.

It is expected that more than 660,000 people will receive assistance under this program.

As reported, at the end of 2024, such a program was already in operation. During the three months of operation of Winter eSupport, Ukrainians submitted almost 14.4 million applications.