Poroshenko slams 2025 state budget: “It doesn’t align with Zelenskyy’s resilience plan”
Source: Petro Poroshenko/Telegram
The 2025 state budget approved by the Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday caught flak from former Ukrainian president and opposition leader Petro Poroshenko who argued the financial plan is failing to address the priorities of a nation at war.
The former president said, “This budget was supposed to be a budget of victory. How can you talk about victory when defense spending hasn’t increased by a single hryvnia? Instead of raising salaries for soldiers, you’re boosting pay for prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement officials. Where is the courage to oppose this?”
He is argued that the decision to allocate 1.5 billion hryvnias for the national TV marathon and a 1,000-hryvnia allowance program as politically motivated.
“If we are moving toward [joining] Europe, we should heed the EU’s expansion report, which calls for eliminating funding for propaganda TV marathons. And this 1,000 hryvnias—bribing every Ukrainian—is nothing but electioneering in disguise. Ukrainians don’t take bribes,” Poroshenko said.
The 2025 budget projects revenue at 2.336 trillion hryvnias, expenditures at 3.938 trillion hryvnias (a 19% increase compared to 2024), a deficit of 1.546 trillion hryvnias (19.4% of GDP, slightly down from 20.6% in 2024), external financing of $38.823 billion, GDP growth of 2.7%, and an exchange rate of 45 hryvnias per USD.
Spending priorities include defense and security at 2.223 trillion hryvnias (26.3% of GDP), social protection at 419.2 billion hryvnias, healthcare at 210.7 billion hryvnias, education at 169.3 billion hryvnias, culture and media at 9.6 billion hryvnias, pensions at 237.9 billion hryvnias, and support for war veterans at 5.8 billion hryvnias.
Military and security spending increases include the Ministry of Defense at 34.7%, military intelligence at 37.3%, and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) at 18.8%.
The minimum wage and living wage will remain at 2024 levels, with the average monthly salary projected to reach 24,000 hryvnias.
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.).