Ukrainian Rada increases 2023 state budget expenditures by UAH 317.1 bln
MOSCOW. Oct 6 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada on Friday passed legislation amending the 2023 state budget to increase its expenditures by UAH 317.1 billion, including UAH 302.6 allocated additionally to finance the security and defense sector, with public borrowing increased by UAH 290.7 billion serving as the principle source of financing.
"Following 11.5 hours of 'intellectual debates', we passed a 2023 draft state budget at the second reading and on the whole to allocate UAH 303 billion for defense needs," Ukrainian media quoted head of the Rada's Budget Committee Roksolana Pidlasa as saying on her social media account.
Finance Minister Sergei Marchenko said while presenting the draft budget that the extra over UAH 300 billion that should be allocated for the military campaign is a result of support from the business community and taxpayers, as well as the placement of war bonds.
"Not a single dollar or euro of international aid can be spent on the military. Therefore, amendments to the state budget are extremely necessary," Marchenko said at the parliament.
"The volume of additional expenditures will finance critical needs of security agencies," he said.
In particular, an extra UAH 224.5 billion will be earmarked to pay allowances to service members and UAH 78.1 billion to buy special hardware, military equipment, and food for the military, pay housing and utilities, and finance other essential expenses, the Finance Ministry said. The expenditures for the Defense Ministry are to be increased by UAH 211 billion, for the Interior Ministry system by UAH 79.2 billion, for the Security Service by UAH 4.2 billion, for the Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate by UAH 2.5 billion, for the Foreign Intelligence Service by UAH 0.5 billion, for the state guard service by UAH 0.2 billion, for the Strategic Industry Ministry by UAH 4.4 billion to implement defense industry development programs, and for the State Special Communications Administration by UAH 0.6 billion.
The amendments also provide extra funding for equipping newly-established units of the National Guard, State Border Service, and National Police.
Apart from that, an extra UAH 16.5 billion is to be spent on social payments to internally displaced persons and UAH 552.8 million for purchasing school textbooks, the Finance Ministry said.
