Photo from UNIAN, Viktoriya Pryshutova
The state-owned Oschadbank has made all the necessary preparations to prevent interruptions.
Pensioners living in the occupied regions of Donbas, who are unable to cross into the government-controlled areas over quarantine restrictions, will be able to receive their pensions even if their Oschadbank cards expire, says the government official.
The Cabinet of Ministers has lifted the 60-day restriction for the state-owned bank's cards pending quarantine, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Oleksiy Reznikov told Ukraine 24 TV Channel.
"Moreover, we clearly laid down in the government decree that after the end of lockdown, people will be able for another two months to calmly verify their status of retirees – I emphasize – retirees who are registered as internally displaced persons," he said.
The official added that it would take a separate decision to address the issue of providing pensions to all those "who had honestly earned their pension and is now living in the occupied territories, having not yet reported throughout this whole time."
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"That is, pensioners who are unable to cross in over the lockdown, those who can't get a new card shouldn't worry as all their savings will remain on their cards," he concluded.
Pensions in Ukraine: Latest
On September 4, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the existing pension system, given the current demographic forecast, will not be able to cover pension expenses in the future, and called to replace it with the funded pension system.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to give up his presidential pension if the country faced issues with their payment and volume.
The budget of the Pension Fund for 2020 stands at UAH 448.61 billion, of which UAH 146.83 billion is the fund's deficit, set to be covered by the national budget.