125,000 Ukrainians settle in the Chernobyl zone during the war for state benefits
Source: Forbes Ukraina
The Feb.24 invasion saw thousands of peopl moving house to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone as it allowed them to claim monthly government payments, which cost Ukraine’s budget some 15 billion hryvnias annually.
Since 2022, courts have been granting benefits to individuals registered in the radiation-contaminated zone, even if they lack official status as victims of the Chernobyl disaster or liquidators. This has led to a startling surge in benefit recipients—from 10,000 to 135,400.
Law enforcement discovered cases where people deliberately registered in the zone, often in abandoned buildings, with dozens of individuals often listed in a single apartment.
Deputy Minister of Social Policy Daryna Marchak said the benefit issue is putting a serious strain on the country’s financesthe financial strain.
To address the problem, the 2025 budget includes a provision restricting payments to individuals who resided in the Chernobyl zone between 1986 and 1993.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.
Rinat Akhmetov’s Metinvest Group has completed the construction of an upgraded underground NATO Role 2 hospital in one of the hottest sectors of the frontline. This is the second stabilization point established under the Steel Front initiative in cooperation with the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The new facility, funded by Metinvest with an investment of UAH 21 million, is more secure than the first one thanks to its deeper location underground (over 6 meters) and additional fortifications.
Five armored vehicles “Kozak” have received a new mission – thanks to the support of Metinvest, they have been upgraded to full-fledged command and staff vehicles. These upgraded vehicles are now operating on the front line.
A kamikaze drone flies directly toward an armored personnel carrier. But instead of penetrating the hull, it explodes on a steel screen. The crew survives. This is the new reality for Ukrainian forces, who have received enhanced protection thanks to the Metinvest project within “Steel Front of Rinat Akhmetov”.
To commemorate the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion, “Bukvy” has compiled data on the largest donors supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Among them there are charitable foundations and businesses. The list includes, in particular, foundations that provide assistance exclusively from their own resources, without fundraising (such as SCM by Rinat Akhmetov, Epicenter, etc.).