The Verkhovna Rada has passed in the second reading a bill that unlocks billions of hryvnias for the Defence Forces. This is the draft law "On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Empowering Local Governments to Support the Security and Defence Sector of Ukraine".
Local governments will be able to provide financial and material support to the security and defence sector for the period of martial law. The adoption of the document was reported on the Decentralisation channel.
"The Verkhovna Rada has just unblocked billions of hryvnias for the Defence Forces and allowed donations from local budgets. From now on, local councils will be able to legally purchase drones, first aid kits, pickup trucks, car parts, and everything that can be purchased upon request from military units. In addition, in agreement with the Ministry of Defence, local councils, for example, in frontline or border areas, will be able to finance the creation of fortifications and other defensive structures," said Roman Lozynskyy, co-author of the draft law.
According to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, the draft law was supported in the second reading by 303 MPs.
The explanatory note to the document stated that the basic law of the local self-government system in Ukraine did not contain sufficient legal mechanisms for the representative and executive bodies of local self-government to provide financial and material support to the security and defence sector of the state under martial law.
The draft law was also intended to allow mayors and heads of village councils to be appointed as heads of the respective military administrations without being dismissed. According to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, the draft law was supported in the second reading by 303 MPs.
The explanatory note to the document stated that the basic law of the local self-government system in Ukraine did not contain sufficient legal mechanisms for the representative and executive bodies of local self-government to provide financial and material support to the security and defence sector of the state under martial law.
The draft law was also intended to allow mayors and heads of village councils to be appointed as heads of the respective military administrations without being dismissed.