‘Winter Support’ payments will cannibalize existing welfare programs—report

According to the documents, the “Winter Support” payments fall under the “Social Protection for Citizens in Difficult Life Circumstances” program. The government expects 11 million Ukrainians to apply for the UAH1,000 stipend, bringing total costs to UAH11 billion ($262 million).

However, Ukrainska Pravda says the program lacks sufficient funds. To cover the shortfall, the government plans to cut UAH3 billion ($71.4 million) from the “Social Protection of Children and Families” program and UAH1.5 billion ($35.2 million) from the “Support for Low-Income Families” program. This will free up UAH4.5 billion to top up the primary program.

The journalists also obtained a Finance Ministry assessment of the proposal. In it, Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko flags errors in both the draft and the proposed financing procedures for Winter Support payments. He notes that the program is intended for citizens in genuine hardship, including internally displaced persons, yet most applicants for the UAH1,000 payment may not meet the criteria.

Earlier on Nov. 13, Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko announced that Ukrainians could apply for the UAH1,000 payment from Nov. 15 until Dec. 24, 2025, via the Diia e-governance app or at post offices.