Plans differ significantly from reality
Kashtan NEWS has analyzed the status of the implementation of the Program for addressing socio-economic issues by deputies of the Kyiv City Council, the fulfillment of election programs, and voter directives for the years 2021-2025 during the first nine months of 2024.
Overall, last year, deputies intended to allocate a total of 852.1 million UAH for these noble goals, but in reality, only 414.6 million (48.66% of the planned amount) was spent in the first three quarters. Specifically, out of 776.4 million earmarked for providing financial assistance to Kyiv residents, only 409.233 million was disbursed. Meanwhile, the number of people receiving material support from each individual deputy ranged from zero to over four thousand individuals.
To find out which deputies distributed the most money in 2024 and who turned out to be the most frugal, read the new material from Kashtan NEWS.
Plans versus reality
According to a document that came into our possession, in 2024, not all deputies of the Kyiv Council were involved in distributing financial assistance. Notably, Leonid Yemets and Victoria Ptashnyk ("European Solidarity"), Alexander Linchevsky, Maxim Nefyodov, and Alina Mykhailova ("Voice"), "Servant of the People" Zoryana Skaletska, and independent deputy Igor Kyrylenko remained on the sidelines of distributing money to people.
It should be noted that it was previously planned for Kyrylenko to spend 10 million UAH on material assistance to people, while Linchevsky, Nefyodov, and Skaletska were to allocate 7 million each, Ptashnyk 4.5 million, and Mykhailova 2.75 million. However, these amounts were never financed.
Additionally, 10 million UAH were planned for distribution of financial assistance by "Udar" members Viktor Hryshko, Myroslava Smirnova, Kateryna Kyrychenko, Alexander Honcharov, and Dmytro Bilotserkovets, as well as by "Unity" members Vadym Ivanchenco, Olha Veremeyenko, Roman Yaroshenko, Vahan Tovmasyan, Olesya Samoludchenko, and Yaroslav Fedorenko, along with Vitaliy Pavlyk ("European Solidarity"), Alexander Pluzhnyk (former "OPZZH"), independent Volodymyr Yalovyi, and Kyiv Council Secretary Volodymyr Bondarenko.
We emphasize that not all these amounts were financed, resulting in the top 5 deputies who provided the most material assistance to their constituents over the past nine months looking as follows:
- Alexander Honcharov ("Udar") – 8,315,529.97 UAH;
- Olesya Samoludchenko ("Unity") – 7,280,049 UAH;
- Vahan Tovmasyan ("Unity") – 7,211,727.80 UAH;
- Olha Veremeyenko ("Unity") – 7,149,708.50 UAH;
- Myroslava Smirnova ("Udar") – 7,084,932.77 UAH.
If we assess the generosity of deputies based on the number of individuals who received assistance, nearly the entire top of the list is occupied by members of "Unity": Olha Veremeyenko (4,710 people), Olesya Samoludchenko (4,636 people), Vahan Tovmasyan (3,929 people), and Yaroslav Fedorenko (3,312 people). The top 5 is completed by Hanna Syvyridenko from the "Batkivshchyna" faction, who distributed 3,748,678.45 UAH to 2,687 individuals during this period.
It should be noted that our editorial team does not have information on who these individuals are that received financial assistance and the criteria under which it was allocated.
Social Protection
Since addressing voters' issues by deputies is not limited to direct cash distribution "from hand to hand," we also analyzed the expenditures of city representatives on social protection.
However, in 2024, only a small fraction of deputies were engaged in social welfare. Specifically, Denys Lyubchenko ("European Solidarity") planned to spend 2 million UAH in this area, Vladislav Andronov ("Udar") – 316,750 UAH, Denys Moskali (VO "Batkivshchyna") and Victoria Mukha ("Udar") – 100,000 UAH each, Serhiy Artemenko and Taras Kryvoruchko from "European Solidarity," as well as Inna and Yuliya Yarmolenko from "Unity" – 50,000 UAH each, and "Udar" member Olena Ovramenko – 49,975 UAH.
In the end, out of these nine deputies, only four actually allocated funds for social protection: Artemenko and Kryvoruchko – 49,987.20 UAH each, Ovramenko – 49,974.54 UAH, and Moskali – 49,947 UAH. Thus, out of the planned 2,766,732 UAH, only 199,895.94 UAH was spent on social protection.
Education
For addressing problems and fulfilling voters' requests in the education sector, deputies allocated only 2.7 million UAH out of over 31 million planned during the first nine months of 2024.
The most (2 million UAH each) were planned for education by Pavlo Boychenko ("European Solidarity"), Oleg Kostiushko ("Udar"), Rustem Akhmetov (former OPZZH), and Alexander Linchevsky ("Voice"). However, out of all four deputies, only Kostiushko received funding for these purposes, and even then only in the amount of 98,200.4 UAH.
Ultimately, during this period, the most was spent on education by deputies from the majority:
- Andriy Strannikov ("Udar") – 1,006,291 UAH (out of 1,150,000 planned);
- Alexander Tymchenko ("European Solidarity") – 393,486 UAH (out of 393,486 planned);
- Dmytro Banas ("Udar") – 358,680.63 UAH (out of 1 million planned);
- Alexander Mishchenko ("European Solidarity") – 254,400 UAH (out of 500,000 planned).
Housing and Communal Services
For housing and communal services last year, the city deputies planned to personally spend nearly 42 million UAH, but in reality, only 2.4 million was financed. The top 5 deputies who spent the most budgetary funds on addressing communal issues were mainly comprised of deputies from the majority:
- Andriy Strannikov ("Udar") – 974,104 UAH (out of 3 million planned);
- Alexander Mishchenko ("European Solidarity") – 628,682.42 UAH (out of 2.5 million planned);
- Oleg Kosti