Udar calls UAH 8 bln Kyiv budget withdrawal attack on Klitschko, decentralization
The Udar party reacted to the withdrawal of UAH 8 billion from the Kyiv budget by the decision of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, calling it an attack on the capital and the capital's authorities, as well as the destruction of the remnants of the decentralization reform.
"The vote in the Verkhovna Rada on bill No. 13439-3, which takes UAH 8 billion from the capital's budget, is another open attack by the authorities on Kyiv and its mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, whom the authorities consider their main political opponent... The authorities are afraid of competition, afraid of the free choice of citizens and therefore are turning the legislative body into an instrument of pressure and political repression," the statement published on the official website of the political force says.
The party notes that in this way the authorities "are actually taking money from the Armed Forces of Ukraine."
"These funds are primarily for the support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As a result, due to the actions of Bankova, UAH 8 billion of community funds will not go to the defenders, but to the sky-high salaries of the management of state-owned enterprises, bonuses to officials and prosecutors," the statement says.
Member of Parliament of the Verkhovna Rada of the 8th convocation Boryslav Bereza also claims that the funds withdrawn from the capital should have gone to military needs and to support military personnel.
"This is money that should have gone to fortifications, air defense, terrorist defense, to support our military. From equipment to drones and transport, to help the wounded and families of the deceased," the ex-MP wrote on Telegram, illustrating the message with a list of current MPs who supported this decision.
Earlier, Klitschko said that last year alone the capital allocated more than UAH 10 billion hryvnias for the needs of the defenders. "In 2025, they planned to send at least no less. Someone is very annoyed that Kyiv helps the military the most," he stressed.
As reported, on August 20, the Verkhovna Rada adopted amendments to the state budget (draft law No. 13439-3) by 229 votes, which provide, among other things, for the withdrawal of UAH 8 billion from the Kyiv budget at the expense of income tax funds. Some 196 people's deputies from the Servant of the People party faction, 15 from the Dovira deputy group, nine from the Restoration of Ukraine party and one MP from the Batkivshchyna party and eight non-faction deputies voted "for."