Koretsky has blocked funding for all cities in Ukraine, - Zubko

Payments to local authorities have been blocked by the government. This is an inappropriate decision at such a critical juncture.

This was posted on Facebook by Ukrainian statesman and politician, former Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Hennadiy Zubko, according to Censor.NET.

Details

According to him, this means that local authorities, despite having their own funds (from taxes paid into local budgets), are unable to carry out their duties (neither their own nor those delegated to them) and cannot provide essential services to the public.

Zubko emphasises that the following is at risk:

preparations for the heating season (one month before it begins!);
preparations for and protection of critical infrastructure, life-support systems and utility networks;
remedying the damage caused by shelling of residential buildings and social infrastructure (in particular schools and hospitals);
medical procurement (including for intensive care units);
salaries for utility workers;
payments to suppliers of energy resources and fuel, contractors and repair teams;
payments to international organisations and donors;
many other matters vital to communities and individuals.

"Furthermore, this decision leads to many issues being resolved on a case-by-case basis: who receives funding and for what expenditure will depend on a specific official in the Treasury – a direct path to corruption. Of course, we all understand that the country is at war, everyone is living under these conditions, and we must economise and prioritise expenditure. I am certain that local authorities are ready to support the state – as always. But there needs to be clear dialogue and communication from the central government. Of course, local authorities are currently in shock and sounding the alarm. Is this already a rollback of decentralisation, or not yet?" – concludes Zubko.

What led up to this?

It should be recalled that the day before , Ukraine’s Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko stated that , despite comments from European Commission representatives regarding the absence of an external financing shortfall for Ukraine in 2026, the Ministry of Defence has an additional funding requirement for this year.
According to him, Ukraine plans to cover more than $7 billion of this requirement using domestic resources – through savings and the reallocation of expenditure.
Ukraine expects to raise a further $12 billion through "joint efforts".
The Mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, had previously stated that by the end of the week, some of Lviv’s street cleaners and tram drivers might not receive their well-deserved scheduled wages, which is unlawful.
The Ivano-Frankivsk City Council has also stated that, due to a decision by Koretsky, municipal workers are not receiving their wages.