Photo from UNIAN
The government has signed the relevant memorandum with local authorities.
The government assures that tariffs for heating and hot water will not be raised until the end of the ongoing heating season, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said.
"Tariffs for heating and hot water will not rise this heating season. We have just officially formalized this in a Memorandum with local authorities. This is one of eight steps our team will take to resolve the tariff issue," he wrote on Telegram.
Read alsoReduced tariffs for gas, its distribution in effect from Feb 1
Heating and electricity tariffs increased in Ukraine on January 1, 2021. Also, the price of gas as a commodity reached almost UAH 11 (US$0.39) per cubic meter in the first months of 2021. In addition, tariffs for natural gas transportation to households' homes increased by 37.5%.
Since the beginning of January 2021, rallies in protest against the increase in utility rates have taken place in a number of regions across the country.
Responding to protests, President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the government to audit gas and heating tariffs nationwide and get clarifications as to the grounds for their increase.
In late January, Shmyhal said a memorandum would be signed with local authorities to halt any further increase in tariffs for heating and hot water until the end of the current heating season.