---
title: "AGU says government has halted payments to communities for winter preparation and energy protection"
description: "The Association of Cities of Ukraine stated that the government has halted payments to communities for preparing for the heating season and protecting energy systems. AGU is demanding that the Cabinet fulfill the budget."
date: 2026-09-22T16:40:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/agu-says-government-halted-community-payments-for-winter-preparation
tags: [ukraine, local-governance, state-budget, heating-season, energy-security]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# AGU says government has halted payments to communities for winter preparation and energy protection

![AGU representative at a briefing on the government's suspension of payments to communities for winter preparation and energy protection](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/22/agu-zayavila-ob-ostanovke-vyplat-gromadam-na-podgotovku-k-zime/agu-zayavila-ob-ostanovke-vyplat-gromadam-na-podgotovku-k-zime-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- AGU reported that the government has suspended payments to communities for protecting energy systems, preparing for winter, and restoring infrastructure and housing.
- Oksana Prodan, advisor to the head of AGU, stated that the government has no right to halt budget payments without a decision of the Verkhovna Rada.
- According to AGU, which unites 1,092 communities, the Cabinet owes 85 billion hryvnias to heat supply enterprises.
- Prime Minister Serhiy Hereka earlier called getting through winter the main challenge for the government, without directly commenting on the fact of the payment halt.

The Association of Cities of Ukraine (AGU) reported that the government has suspended payments that local budgets (communities) were allocating to protect energy infrastructure, prepare for the heating season, eliminate the consequences of missile strikes, restore critical infrastructure and damaged housing. According to RBC-Ukraine, this is stated in the association's official statement; the association, by its own data, unites 1,092 communities. AGU emphasizes that the halt of payments directly affects the ability of local communities to carry out tasks related to ensuring resilience and preparing for winter.

### AGU statement: payments halted

According to Oksana Prodan, advisor to the head of AGU, this concerns precisely those payments that communities had budgeted for protecting energy systems, preparing for the heating season, eliminating the consequences of shelling, and restoring damaged infrastructure and housing. The association poses a direct question: how are communities supposed to prepare for winter and carry out resilience plans if the funds allocated for this purpose are not being received? AGU also raises the question of whether the halt of payments complies with the Law on the State Budget of Ukraine for 2026 and of the possible consequences of such a decision for communities and the population.

### Position on budget legislation

Oksana Prodan stated that in a parliamentary-presidential republic, the government has no right to independently decide whether to carry out payments provided for in the budget. "The government cannot independently stop these payments without a decision of the Verkhovna Rada, without parliament," she said. In her view, if the Cabinet has problems with cash or with the treasury account, it must see this in advance and prepare amendments to the state budget for the current year, which are then submitted for approval in parliament. "The government is not returning these funds and does not plan to return them. The government, even before Mrs. Pidlasa's statement, was not in a hurry to perform its functions. But at least not to cause harm — this, at the very least, the government can do even without additional funding," said the advisor to the head of AGU.

### 85 billion hryvnias in debt

AGU also noted that all 1,092 united communities are interested in an effective preparation for the heating season and are awaiting help from the government, since, according to the association's data, the Cabinet currently owes 85 billion hryvnias to heat supply enterprises. The association believes that the financing problem should have been anticipated by the government in advance, rather than being discovered at a time when little time remains before winter.

### Contradictory data

The versions of the parties essentially diverge. AGU claims that payments have in fact been halted and that such a decision contradicts budget legislation, since it cannot be made by the government unilaterally without a decision of the Verkhovna Rada. At the same time, the provided materials lack direct public confirmation from the Cabinet of the fact of suspending payments; from the government's side, the only known statement is the earlier one by Prime Minister Serhiy Hereka that getting through the coming winter is the main challenge for the Ukrainian government and that the Cabinet is preparing for any scenario. Thus, one side records the factual halt of payments and cites a debt of 85 billion hryvnias, while the other emphasizes readiness for winter without directly commenting on the suspension of specific payments. The figure of the 85 billion hryvnias debt is also cited exclusively with reference to AGU's data and is not confirmed by an independent source.

### Context: preparation for winter

Against the backdrop of AGU's statement, Prime Minister Serhiy Hereka had earlier stated that getting through the coming winter is the main challenge facing the Ukrainian government and that the Cabinet is preparing for any scenario. The association of cities' statement, thus, underscores the gap between declarations of readiness for winter and, according to local communities, the actual state of financing on which the operation of energy and heat supply systems in the country's cities and communities depends.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Cities left without money before winter: AGU demands the government fulfill the budget](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/mista-zalishili-groshey-pered-zimoyu-amu-1790094835.html) - Передаёт заявление АГУ об остановке выплат и позицию Оксаны Продан по бюджетному законодательству.
- [Association of Cities of Ukraine announces suspension of payments for heating season preparation](https://censor.net/ru/news/4024748/oksana-prodan-zayavila-o-priostanovke-vyplat-gromadam) - Подтверждает заявление АГУ и цитату советницы главы ассоциации о приостановке выплат громадам.
- [Government suspends payments to communities for heating season preparation – AGU](https://gordonua.com/section-money/news-uryad-zupynyv-vyplaty-hromadam-na-pidhotovku-do-opalyuvalnoho-sezonu-amu-22-09-2026.html) - Подтверждает факт заявления АГУ о приостановлении выплат общинам на подготовку к отопительному сезону.
- [Government freezes payments for energy protection and heating season preparation in ...](https://focus.ua/ukraine/768668-pravitelstvo-zamorozilo-platezhi-dlya-zashity-energetiki-i-podgotovki-k-otopitelnomu-sezonu-v-gorodah-amu) - Подтверждает заявление АГУ о заморозке платежей на защиту энергетики и подготовку к отопительному сезону.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What exactly, according to AGU's statement, has the government halted?
**A:** According to the Association of Cities of Ukraine, this concerns payments budgeted by communities for protecting energy systems, preparing for the heating season, eliminating the consequences of missile strikes, and restoring critical infrastructure and damaged housing.

### Q: Why does AGU consider the halt of payments illegal?
**A:** Oksana Prodan, advisor to the head of AGU, stated that in a parliamentary-presidential republic, the government cannot independently halt payments provided for in the budget without a decision of the Verkhovna Rada.

### Q: How much, according to AGU, does the Cabinet owe heat supply enterprises?
**A:** According to the association's data, the government currently owes 85 billion hryvnias to heat supply enterprises. This figure is cited with reference to AGU.

### Q: What did the prime minister say about preparation for winter?
**A:** Prime Minister Serhiy Hereka earlier stated that getting through the coming winter is the main challenge for the Ukrainian government and that the Cabinet is preparing for any scenario.