Will be forcibly withdrawn: some pensioners may be left without payments

The new draft of the Ukrainian state budget for 2025 may risk jeopardizing pension payments for internally displaced persons. The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, reported this, emphasizing that the relevant norm is included in the budget bill.

According to the budget, if internally displaced persons do not undergo physical identification within a year, Oschadbank must transfer unused funds from their pension accounts to the Pension Fund. According to the Ministry of Social Policy, the total amount of funds that can be withdrawn is over 15.9 billion hryvnias.

Lubinets considers this norm illegal, as a pension is the private property of every citizen, and its withdrawal without justification constitutes a violation of the right to property, which is enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine and European norms. He called for a revision of this norm, insisting on the need to protect the rights of citizens, in particular the most vulnerable categories, in the context of war.

The draft budget for 2025 was considered by the Verkhovna Rada in November 2024 and signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky. It envisages total revenues of UAH 2.05 trillion and expenditures of UAH 3.6 trillion, resulting in a deficit of UAH 1.55 trillion, or 19.4% of GDP. The primary focus of the budget remains defense and security financing, with UAH 2.23 trillion planned for these purposes.