We know where the 300 billion for the army is – statement by the European Solidarity faction

The shocking interview of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Budget Committee, in which it is said that delays in paying salaries to the military are possible from November, because there is a 300 billion UAH hole in the budget, requires an immediate reaction from the Verkhovna Rada and a budget revision. It is necessary to urgently withdraw money from non-targeted expenditures for the needs of the army.

The fact that just a few weeks ago, the parliament made changes to this year’s budget adds special cynicism to the statement of the head of the relevant committee, while robbing local governments, taking 8 billion UAH from Kyiv, supposedly for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but in fact transferring it to the Reserve Fund for the next populist initiatives of the authorities.

More than 4 billion UAH have already been spent on “cashback” alone! These unprofessional and absurd decisions were made by the “servants” together with the “OPZZH”.

The funds of a country at war are spent irrationally – to finance a propaganda telethon, “cashbacks” and “Vovina’s Thousands,” where tens of billions of hryvnias are poured into.

The authorities are unable to form priorities for the defense sector and the provision of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, the OP and “servants” continue to lobby for corruption schemes, for example, the gambling business, which does not pay even half of what it earns. And the funds allocated for defense are used inefficiently or are embezzled. NABU is investigating a number of cases that caused losses to the state of 12.5 billion in defense procurement.

If the army steals, there will be a gap of 300 billion hryvnias for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The government has already included the same problem with the deficit in financing the Defense Forces in the new budget for 2026. That is why we found 300 billion hryvnias, which must be planned for defense in 2026 now: for weapons, for equipment, for increasing soldiers’ salaries, and for the treatment and rehabilitation of the wounded.

We propose to reallocate for defense needs in 2026:

• UAH 200 billion from the Reserve Fund, which the government plans to spend in “manual mode” without approval from parliament.
• UAH 61 billion — reduction of unnecessary expenses:

13.7 billion — “public investment projects” that have nothing to do with defense;

5.5 billion — telethon and “strategic communications,” which have long lost credibility;

12 billion – roads, which are not a priority during the war;

39.8 billion — for backroom “security forces”, bureaucracy, and corruption schemes.

• UAH 39 billion — additional revenues from the government’s “feeders”:

13 billion — from gambling;

18 billion — from tobacco products;

3 billion — from alcohol;

5 billion from new gas wells.

• Unused funds from previous years are put to use
• 10% of personal income tax from the military should be returned to military units, not to the State Special Communications Service, which failed to provide drones.

There is no greater priority in Ukraine now than providing for the army. The Armed Forces of Ukraine should be respected not only on holidays, but every day. Our faction has long registered the corresponding changes to the Law on the Budget and amendments to the draft for 2026. We demand their consideration in the next plenary week.

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