PM Svyrydenko unveils new programs under winter support package

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko has held a meeting with Ukrainian and foreign media, during which she presented new government programs within the framework of the winter support package.

Svyrydenko announced the provision of UAH 1,000 in support for each citizen, UAH 6,500 for vulnerable categories, as well as the UZ-3000 program.

"These three new programs are part of the Government’s comprehensive policy of winter support for citizens during the difficult winter period. Our task is to ensure the vital activity of the state and support people, the economy and critical infrastructure during a full-scale invasion," Svyrydenko wrote in the Telegram channel.

As the Prime Minister explained, UAH 1,000 in one-time assistance will be available to all Ukrainians - adults and children living in the country.

"The funds can be spent on basic needs, for example: utilities, medicines, books, or donated to the Defense Forces. We are working on a full list," Svyrydenko explained.

She recalled that last year, more than 14 million Ukrainians used the assistance. Then 58% of recipients used these funds to pay for utilities, 22% for mobile communications, 4% for catering establishments. Medicines and books were also among the priority categories.

Details of this year’s program will be made public in the near future, by November 15.

Representatives of vulnerable categories - orphans, children under guardianship, children with disabilities in foster families, IDP (internally displaced persons) children, IDPs with disabilities, single pensioners - will be able to receive one-time targeted assistance in the amount of UAH 6,500. The funds can be spent on medicines, clothing, and shoes.

"You can receive assistance on the Diia.Card or on a current account with a special usage regime. The state is allocating UAH 4.3 billion to this program, we expect that 660,000 people will use this program," Svyrydenko noted.

Speaking about the UZ-3000 program, the Prime Minister noted that the state has begun to co-finance passenger transportation, because the real cost of tickets is on average 3-4 times higher than their price for the passenger. Previously, this imbalance was compensated by profits from cargo transportation, but due to active hostilities, cargo volumes are decreasing, and this resource is no longer enough.

"To support the railway in difficult times, the Government allocates funds from the state budget to cover part of the deficit. These are taxpayers’ funds, so it is logical that citizens should also benefit directly from this. It is for this purpose that Ukrzaliznytsia is developing a new social program - "UZ-3000". It provides an opportunity to travel free of charge within Ukraine for a distance of up to 3,000 km on days when there are free seats on long-distance trains. During such periods of low demand, up to 200,000 to 250,000 tickets are not purchased," Svyrydenko said.

She emphasized that the program will allow balancing supply and demand for passenger transportation, unloading the railway during peak periods, and will also be a step towards rational use of budget funds - more people will benefit from state resources.

"It is important that the initiative does not create an additional burden on the state budget. Ukrzaliznytsia will have the opportunity to implement its own compensation mechanisms - in particular, more flexible pricing in the premium segment, following the example of airline tickets," Svyrydenko added.