Photo from UNIAN
Some UAH 30 billion has to be allocated annually to ensure pension payments to the people residing in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine Andriy Reva told 112 Ukraine TV channel.
"If there are about 1.2 million pensioners in the temporarily occupied territory, and while the average pension in Ukraine amounts to UAH 1,700, it was higher in Donbas -- about UAH 2,000 -- then it some UAH 30 billion should be spent annually for pensions alone," Reva said.
Read alsoProperty loss due to Russian occupation to be tackled as part of Minsk process – ministerThe Minister believes that the reports about Russia spending some $3 billion for Donbas annually could mean that there is in fact an ongoing economic disaster in the occupied areas.
In addition, according to Reva, these amounts go to support military occupation, rather than civilians.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Chairman of the Ukrainian-controlled Donetsk military and civil administration Pavlo Zhebrivskiy said that Russia spent about $3 billion a year on the occupied territories.
Read alsoEU increases humanitarian aid in eastern Ukraine to over EUR 26 mln in 2016In addition, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said that Ukraine needed urgent and radical reform of its pension system. He said that the deficit of the Pension Fund of almost UAH 150 billion was a "hole" in the state budget and a problem for those who had already retired.
"It's an almost UAH 150 billion hole. This is a huge challenge to the entire state. For those already retired, this is a de facto challenge, because one-third of our people get by with a minimum pension. This is unacceptable. Such a system must be rebuilt," he said.