Today, 20 August, the Verkhovna Rada adopted amendments to the 2025 budget totalling 40 billion hryvnia (draft law 13439-3).
As noted by MPs Yaroslav Zheleznyak and Oleksandr Fediyenko, the draft law was supported by 229 MPs.
The chair of the budget committee, Roksolana Pidlasa, reported that the law mainly concerns non-military expenditures.
Among the main items for which spending increases are proposed (non-exhaustive list):
+25.5 billion hryvnia - replenishment of the state budget reserve fund (unforeseen military and humanitarian expenditures), of which 8 billion hryvnia may be allocated to support Ukrzaliznytsia.
+4.3 billion UAH for the Ministry of Digital Transformation, of which:
- 1.4 billion UAH - a new programme of the Ministry of Digital Transformation for the purchase of special equipment, drones and equipment for testing in combat conditions,
- 2.8 billion UAH - grants for the development of production in the field of defence tech
+4.6 billion hryvnia - meals for primary school pupils in ALL regions and pupils in grades 5-11 in frontline territories
+3.2 billion hryvnia - purchase of medicines for the state-funded treatment of patients with cancer, viral hepatitis, rare orphan diseases, haemophilia, etc.
+1.5 billion UAH - subsidy to local budgets for the development of a network of military lyceums that provide patriotic education to children.
+1.2 billion UAH - support for war veterans and their families (payment of financial assistance and compensation for insurance policies (motor vehicle insurance).
Separate decisions were made to support IDPs
UAH 1 billion was reallocated for the construction of new housing or the renovation of premises for IDPs to live in.
It is also envisaged that local self-government bodies will be able to use free balances of funds in their accounts to purchase housing or provide housing loans for internally displaced persons.
These additional expenditures are balanced by a reduction in other non-military expenditures by UAH 36.7 billion (of which UAH 33.6 billion is a reduction in public debt servicing), as well as the redirection of part of the income tax of banks from the budget of the city of Kyiv to the general fund of the state budget (UAH 8 billion).
For her part, Prime Minister Yuliya Svyrydenko thanked the deputies for supporting the changes to the state budget.
‘The additional funds will be directed to priority non-military areas — medicines for cancer patients and patients with serious illnesses, meals for schoolchildren in grades 1–4 in all regions and students in grades 5–11 in frontline territories, the development of military lyceums, support for defence tech manufacturers, assistance to veterans, and housing for internally displaced persons,’ Svyrydenko wrote.
She noted that the funding is secured by reducing other non-military expenditures and optimising debt payments.
The prime minister also recalled that in July, the Verkhovna Rada had already increased defence spending by 412 billion hryvnia. Security is a strategic priority of our budget, Svyrydenko noted.