In 2026, a specific category of non-working pensioners in Ukraine receives a monthly pension supplement of 2,595 hryvnias. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the Pension Fund of Ukraine office in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The payment is established by Article 29 of Law of Ukraine No. 4695-IX of 3 December 2025, "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2026," and is intended for those who were affected by the Chernobyl disaster and permanently reside in the resettlement zones.
Who is entitled to the supplement
The right to a monthly supplement of 2,595 hryvnias is granted to non-working pensioners who permanently reside in the zone of unconditional (mandatory) resettlement and the zone of guaranteed voluntary resettlement. The key condition is that the person must have been residing or working in the specified zones as of 26 April 1986, or during the period from 26 April 1986 to 1 January 1993. It is precisely this fact that grants the individual the status of a victim of the Chernobyl disaster and, consequently, the right to the corresponding payment.
Exceptions: who does not receive the supplement
The Pension Fund of Ukraine clearly defines the categories of citizens who do not receive this supplement. First, it is not granted to persons who, after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident, independently or by direction of the oblast state administrations changed their place of residence to outside the resettlement zones and then returned there to live permanently. Second, the payment is not due to those who registered their place of residence or moved to these zones only after the Chernobyl accident. Thus, the key criterion remains the continuity of residence in the zone during the specified historical period.
Confirmation of the fact of residence
If there is no information about a person's residence in the zone as of 26 April 1986 or during the period up to 1 January 1993 in the Unified State Demographic Register, the Register of the Territorial Community, or other state registers, the Pension Fund of Ukraine bodies establish this fact based on a combination of certain circumstances. This means that even in the absence of direct records in electronic databases, a pensioner can confirm their right to the supplement through alternative documents and verification procedures.
Contradictory data
Discrepancies in the amounts of pension supplements are noted in open sources. The main text, relying on Article 29 of the law on the 2026 state budget, refers to 2,595 hryvnias. However, the publication Obozrevatel mentions the figure of "almost 3,000 UAH" in the headline of one of its articles, which may relate to a different category of payment or contain an inaccuracy. In addition, Unian reports on a supplement of 1,038 hryvnias for single pensioners, while RBC-Ukraine previously indicated an age-based surcharge of 300 to 570 hryvnias, which is credited automatically. Thus, several different pension surcharges are simultaneously circulating in the information space, and it is important for readers to distinguish: 2,595 hryvnias is precisely the Chernobyl supplement under the 2026 budget, whereas 1,038 hryvnias and 300–570 hryvnias relate to other grounds for payment.
Context: social obligations amid budget savings
The introduction of this supplement comes against the backdrop of a strict regime of budget savings, which the Cabinet of Ministers introduced to strengthen defence. Prime Minister Serhiy Horytets publicly assured that, despite the restrictions, the state will fully fulfil its social obligations to citizens, in particular with regard to pensions. Thus, the Chernobyl supplement of 2,595 hryvnias in 2026 remains a valid and guaranteed payment for the corresponding category of pensioners.
