Ukraine has virtually run out of its coronavirus relief funds, as there is a little more than UAH 3 billion (US$108 million) out of UAH 63 billion (US$2.27 billion) left.
This is 5% of the total amount, the TV program Snidanok z 1+1 reported.
Who got the money
According to journalists, the Infrastructure Ministry has received most of the funds, which was UAH 35 billion (US$1.26 billion). They were spent on the construction, reconstruction, and repair and maintenance of highways.
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The Health Ministry was given UAH 8 billion (US$288 million). The money was used to purchase artificial lung ventilation devices, laboratory equipment and consumables for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. In addition, UAH 10 billion (US$360 million) was allocated for the Economy Ministry to pay unemployment benefits.
Background events
- On April 13, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada adopted amendments to the law on the national budget for 2020, according to which a special fund was created to combat the coronavirus in the amount of UAH 64.7 billion (US$2.331 billion). More than half of money from this fund was used to repair roads.
- On April 18, 2020, the president enacted the amendments.
- As of July 1, 2020, Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers allocated UAH 19 billion (US$684 million) for the fight against COVID-19.
- On July 6, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada's Human Rights Commissioner Liudmyla Denisova asked the Cabinet to allocate UAH 14.5 million (US$522,334) from the Coronavirus Relief Fund. Of the amount, UAH 10 million (US$360,231) was planned to be spent on the renovation of an administrative building, UAH 3.5 million (US$126,081) on the creation of a website, and UAH 1 million (US$36,023) on business trips within the framework of the national preventive mechanism.
- On July 21, 2020, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that the assets of the special fund to combat the coronavirus, which was created with along with budget spending cuts would be enough to mitigate the impact of the crisis on all sectors of the economy and social sphere in Ukraine.
- On July 22, 2020, it became known that the government planned to earmark UAH 2 billion (US$72.046 million) from the special fund to combat coronavirus for education and science.
- As of July 24, 2020, the Ukrainian government had already allocated UAH 66 billion (US$2.38 billion) from the fund to fight COVID-19.