Rada redistributes about UAH 40 bln in expenditures, deprives Kyiv of UAH 8 bln in revenues in favor of Ukrzaliznytsia

The Verkhovna Rada has amended the state budget for 2025: it redistributed about UAH 40 billion in expenditures mainly due to a UAH 33.6 billion reduction in expenditures for servicing the state debt, among other things, Ukrzaliznytsia will receive UAH 8 billion in revenues from bank profits, which should have gone to the Kyiv budget.

"The law mainly concerns non-military expenditures. Among the main items for which it is proposed to increase expenditures [non-exhaustive list], + UAH 25.5 billion - replenishment of the state budget reserve fund [unforeseen military and humanitarian expenditures], of which UAH 8 billion can be directed to support Ukrzaliznytsia," head of the parliamentary budget committee Roksolana Pidlasa wrote on Facebook.

As a correspondent of the Interfax-Ukraine agency reported, a total of 229 MPs voted for Law No. 13439-3 at the plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada on Wednesday, with the required minimum of 226 votes.

As the Ministry of Finance noted in a press release, UAH 4.3 billion is directed for digital development, of which UAH 1.4 billion is for the purchase of special equipment, drones and equipment for testing in combat conditions and UAH 2.8 billion is for grant support to manufacturers in the defense tech sector.

Another UAH 4.6 billion will go to feed students in grades 1–4 in all regions and students in grades 5–11 in front-line areas, UAH 3.2 billion to purchase medicines for the treatment of cancer patients, patients with rare orphan diseases, hepatitis, hemophilia, etc., UAH 1.5 billion to subvention local budgets for the development of a network of military lyceums, and UAH 1.2 billion to support war veterans and their families (cash assistance, compensation under insurance policies).

The Ministry of Finance emphasized that special attention was paid to supporting internally displaced persons (IDPs): UAH 1 billion was allocated for the construction or reconstruction of housing for them. It is also envisaged that local governments can use the remaining funds to purchase housing or provide preferential loans to IDPs, the ministry added.