The government is deliberately under-funding the security sector

Source: Author’s Facebook page

The government has presented to parliament a draft Law “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2026.” And this is not the budget of a state that is at war.

And although at the level of statements we hear about the priority of the army, dry numbers show: in 2026, in the middle of the year, the issue of a lack of funds for the production of weapons, ammunition, and financial support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine will again arise.

Net statistics:

Currently, with changes to the budget, in 2025, 1.751 trillion UAH is provided for financing the Ministry of Defense. As of September, there is a need for additional financing at the level of another 300 billion. In total, this year the budget of the Ministry of Defense will amount to more than 2 trillion UAH.

The draft State Budget for 2026 includes only UAH 1.759 trillion for the general fund of the Ministry of Defense, and this amount is significantly less than the expenditures that will actually be used in the current 2025.

Considering inflation, the need to increase weapons production, and interruptions in receiving military assistance from the United States, basic logic suggests that it is impossible to meet all needs by allocating an amount for 2026 that is less than what was actually spent in 2025.

It is obvious that the needs of the security and defense sector are the first priority. Already in the middle of next year, the government will have to replan the budget and reallocate funds to cover all needs. But even this awareness does not stimulate the government to submit an adequate budget immediately and lay down the necessary expenditures for the army.

As a reminder, on September 19, the People’s Deputies adopted for consideration the draft State Budget of Ukraine for 2026. This marks the formal start of the budget process in parliament. The People’s Deputies will have until October 1 to review the document and submit their proposals. Then, the approval of the budget proposals (“first reading”) must take place by October 20, and, according to the Budget Code, the budget must be finally approved (“second reading”) by November 20.

Earlier, during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada, co-chair of the European Solidarity faction, Iryna Gerashchenko, called on the authorities to pay attention to the glaring problems of internally displaced persons. She emphasized that next year’s budget should be directed primarily to providing for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and internally displaced persons.

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