Kim on Mykolaiv’s need for a state subsidy: «We haven’t been able to reach an agreement with the Ministry of Finance yet»
- Alina KvitkoReporter
Vitaliy Kim stated that the issue with the Ministry of Finance regarding ₴1.18 billion for Mykolaiv has still not been resolved. Photo: NikVesti archiveMykolaiv has yet to receive a decision on an additional grant from the state budget amounting to ₴1.18 billion. The issue remains unresolved with the Ministry of Finance.
This was stated by Vitalii Kim, Ukraine’s Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and a member of the Mykolaiv City Council, following a vote by councillors on amendments to Mykolaiv’s budget for 2026, according to NikVesti.
During the session, the city council approved the reallocation of 783 million hryvnias. This comprises, in particular, 357.7 million hryvnias in excess of the budget’s own revenue and 408.4 million hryvnias in inter-budgetary transfers from the state and regional budgets.
After the vote, Vitalii Kim noted that even with these additional revenues, the city remains in a difficult financial situation.
«It’s a very difficult budget, in fact. I’m aware of the issue of the deficit for the city of Mykolaiv. So far, we haven’t been able to resolve this together with the Minister of Finance. These are truly difficult times, and thanks to taxpayers, both the region and the city of Mykolaiv are receiving assistance. I therefore urge you to use the funds wisely this year,» said Vitalii Kim.
This refers to the Mykolaiv City Council’s appeal to the Cabinet of Ministers and the Verkhovna Rada regarding an additional grant from the state budget.
Mykolaiv’s Mayor, Oleksandr Sienkevych, for his part, also thanked the major taxpayers who have provided additional revenue for the city budget.
«I would like once again to thank our taxpayers, who for the second year running have come to the rescue of our meagre budget,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.
What Mykolaiv is asking money for
On 6 August, the Mykolaiv City Council appealed to the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers for an additional grant from the state budget. The city is requesting 1.18 billion hryvnias to cover the local authority’s budget deficit in 2026.
The appeal states that the additional funds are needed, in particular, for:
- paying salaries to public sector employees — 169.9 million hryvnias;
- paying for utilities and energy supplies — 133.5 million hryvnias;
- providing meals for children from disadvantaged groups in educational institutions — 65.8 million hryvnias;
- compensation for subsidised travel for certain categories of citizens — 15.3 million hryvnias;
- paying financial compensation to students at vocational education institutions — 9 million hryvnias;
- resolving drinking water issues and ensuring the uninterrupted operation of the heating supply system — 784.5 million hryvnias.
The city council attributes the need for additional funding to a decline in budget revenue. In particular, due to changes in budgetary legislation and the removal of personal income tax from the salaries of military personnel and law enforcement officers, the city budget will fall short by 2.7 billion hryvnias in 2025, and is expected to lose around 3 billion hryvnias in 2026.
Furthermore, the appeal notes that the scaling back of operations by major taxpayers and the relocation of businesses to other regions have also reduced the city budget’s revenue.
The City Council emphasises that additional financial support is required to ensure the functioning of the housing and utilities sector, social and critical infrastructure, as well as the fulfilment of state social guarantees.
Earlier, the Cabinet of Ministers instructed the Ministry of Finance and other central government bodies to consider Mykolaiv’s appeal for an additional grant and to submit their proposals.
NikVesti
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Kim on Mykolaiv’s need for a state subsidy: «We haven’t been able to reach an agreement with the Ministry of Finance yet».
Mykolaiv is still awaiting a ₴1.18 billion subsidy from…