Veterans will not receive 1,500 UAH each for sport in October: funding for programme has been exhausted, - Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs
The October phase of the ‘Veterans’ Sport’ programme will not be launched on the ‘Diia’ platform, and payments of 1,500 hryvnias under the programme will not be made. The programme’s funding for 2026 has been fully exhausted – over the course of three quarters, demand for it has almost tripled initial expectations.
According to Censor.NET, this was announced by the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs of Ukraine.
In 2026, 600 million hryvnias were initially earmarked for the "Veterans’ Sport" programme. The calculation was based on approximately 100,000 recipients per quarter – accordingly, around 300,000 applications were expected over three quarters.
The actual demand turned out to be significantly higher: the programme was used over 800,000 times during this period.
As a result, additional funds were channelled into the "Veterans’ Sport" programme throughout the year. In total, over 1.2 billion hryvnias were paid out to participants in 2026 – more than double the amount originally allocated.
The Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs noted that all available financial resources had already been allocated to these payments, including funds returned from previous periods.
"The programme has already enrolled as many participants as this year’s budget allows. All allocated funds have been channelled into payments, including those returned from previous periods," the ministry explained.
Why there will be no payments in October
Additional funding is required to launch the next phase of the programme, but there is currently no scope to allocate it from the state budget.
The ministry attributes this to budgetary constraints amid a full-scale war and a difficult economic situation. Defence remains the priority for government spending.
Therefore, a new round of applications via ‘Diia’ will not open in October. Consequently, payments of 1,500 hryvnias will not be made as part of this round.
"We understand just how important the ‘Veterans’ Sport’ programme has become for many veterans, as it helps them maintain their physical health, recover and return to an active life," emphasised the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs.
What will happen to the programme in 2027
The Ministry plans to continue the "Veterans’ Sport" programme next year and is working on transitioning the programme from a pilot scheme to a permanent one.
However, the final format of the programme and the level of funding for 2027 have not yet been determined – these will depend on the state budget’s capacity.
According to the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs, the draft State Budget for 2027 allocates a total of 20.5 billion hryvnias for veterans’ policy. This is 3 billion hryvnias more than in 2026.
