Populism on the Tracks: How Reckless Words Are Crippling Ukrzaliznytsia

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Tickets for domestic flights are often nearly impossible to buy, especially for Western destinations. Even traveling to Kharkiv or Dnipro can be difficult – and expensive. Imagine what chaos will ensue once the “free 3,000 km” initiative is implemented, and the abuses by brokers begin.

I don’t know who authored this populist nonsense, but I would like to hear the reaction of Ukrzaliznytsia’s supervisory board, which receives generous salaries of millions of hryvnias annually to ensure professional, market-based management – not to please Bankova. As for the government, they were appointed on the principle of “whatever you want” and followed every directive from the Presidential Office.

“European Solidarity” strongly opposes the populism of the authorities, which is pushing the country toward default and economic collapse. We were almost the only ones protesting against the cashback program, the “wool a thousand,” which has already triggered inflationary risks and created a hole in the budget. I understand that the six-year-old guests of Bankova do not look at price tags in stores and fail to see how much the cost of a simple “borscht set” has risen, and that the collective Natalochka in the marathon will not tell them, because Poroshenko still takes half of the pierogies from her grandmom.

But such populism is becoming genuinely dangerous for the country. Let me remind you that the draft budget for 2026 does not provide any additional subsidies for Ukrzaliznytsia to cover free rides nationwide. There is no such money in the 2025 budget either.

Therefore, next plenary week, we expect the government—already publicly endorsing this parade of populism through the Prime Minister—to clarify where it plans to get the funds for this. From the Army? From resources meant for air defense or bomb shelters? From doctors and teachers? From our international partners? Keep in mind: aid packages for next year have not yet been confirmed, and in the draft budget, the social sector depends entirely on Western donors.

If Bankova has decided to turn on the printing press to fund this initiative—which is unacceptable during wartime—society must be informed. And it must be made clear what consequences these thoughtless, irresponsible, and harmful statements will provoke for the economy and for Ukrzaliznytsia itself.

As a reminder, Ukrzaliznytsia announced the launch of a new support program for Ukrainians – “UZ-3000”, which provides 3 thousand free kilometers for travel. The company is convinced that this initiative will stimulate travel during off-peak periods and make traveling around the country more affordable.

In addition, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the day before that the government is preparing a large-scale “winter support” program, which will come into effect in December. It will include direct payments, social assistance, maintaining fixed tariffs, and free rail travel within the country.

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