Government halts payments to communities for winter preparation and energy protection - Association of Cities

Representatives of Ukrainian communities report the government has halted payments intended for energy protection, preparation for the heating season, and restoration of critical infrastructure. This was stated by the Association of Ukrainian Cities.

According to the AMU, the problems also concern funds for eliminating the consequences of Russian missile strikes and restoring destroyed housing. The association states that without the planned funding, it will be difficult for communities to implement resilience plans and complete preparations for the heating season.

The AMU also questions the legal grounds for halting payments and states that such restrictions may contradict the law on the state budget for 2026. There was no official government explanation regarding the association's statement at the time of its publication.

The situation arose against the backdrop of liquidity problems in the state budget. As early as September 17, head of the Verkhovna Rada budget committee Roksolana Pidlasa stated that the Ministry of Finance changed the budget schedule and postponed part of capital expenditures planned for September-November to December.

In September alone, this amounts to approximately 39 billion hryvnias. Among the expenditures postponed to the end of the year are the construction and reconstruction of hospitals, shelters in schools and medical facilities, protection of energy infrastructure, social housing, and implementation of resilience plans.

According to Pidlasa, postponing capital expenditures to December effectively creates a risk that a significant portion of these projects will not be financed in time in 2026. Unlike capital programs, the government continues to finance priority social expenditures, including salaries for public sector employees.

Earlier, the government reported that 35 billion hryvnias were allocated for the implementation of regional resilience plans. The stated priorities were protection of energy facilities and critical infrastructure, and deployment of backup heat supply sources.

Based on materials from: Association of Ukrainian Cities, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine