MP and First Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance Yaroslav Zheleznyak, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine's project 'Don't Interrupt' hosted by Volodymyr Kurennyi, sharply criticized the draft state budget for 2027, describing it as 'unrealistic' and containing significant structural flaws. According to him, the document is being formed amid falling GDP, while the government presents expenditure volumes in trillions of dollars, which, in the deputy's assessment, causes irony even among foreign partners. As a separate point, Zheleznyak noted the zero increase in military salaries: the baseline rate of 20,000 hryvnias in 2026 and in 2022 are fundamentally different amounts considering inflation, whereas the labor market, including enterprises with reservation status, offers 60,000 hryvnias.
Amendment on Military Salaries and Financing Basket
Immediately after the budget committee meeting, Zheleznyak reported that a group of 13 MPs from various factions and groups unanimously supported an amendment obligating the government to revise military salaries. To finance this measure, as well as create a business support and insurance fund (up to 50 billion hryvnias), the MP proposed cutting so-called non-core expenditures: telethons, cashback programs, part of road projects, individual defense-industrial complex programs, and shutting down corruption schemes in illegal tobacco, alcohol, gambling, and customs clearance. According to his calculations, at least 200 billion hryvnias is needed solely for military salaries. On October 27, 2026, the Verkhovna Rada supported the 2027 draft budget in the first reading.
Foreign Aid: 50–60% of Needs and 'Homework' Condition
Zheleznyak estimated the share of Western aid at 50–60% of Ukraine's total needs, with partners primarily financing the non-military budget—salaries, pensions, energy facility shelters—as well as partially funding military procurement and equipment repairs. The MP emphasized that donors' logic is built on the requirement of 'homework'—fighting corruption—since they cannot explain to their own voters why allocated funds are being withdrawn to offshore accounts. As an example, he cited the situation with 18 billion hryvnias of VAT that still hasn't been returned to businesses under the formal justification of 'lack of money,' whereas adopting a safe EU-integration anti-corruption strategy would bring 365 million euros—an amount vastly exceeding the VAT debt.
Mega-Populist Articles and Tax Pressure Mistake
Among the most controversial budget items, Zheleznyak named payments of 'Zelensky's thousand' to a broad circle of recipients, financing the telethon in the amount of 1.6 billion hryvnias, and strategic communications programs worth 5.4 billion hryvnias. Regarding tax increases, the deputy used the metaphor of 'a cow that needs to be milked more and fed less,' stating that increasing tax pressure on business under current conditions is a mistake. Reserves, in his view, lie not in taxpayers' pockets, but in the 'leaky bucket' of corruption schemes: fake customs certificates, illegal tobacco production in Ternopil and near Lviv, illegal fuel, alcohol, and gambling. Shutting down each such scheme, he said, provides billions of hryvnias to the state budget without additional burden on the legal sector.
Political Ambitions: Three Conditions for the Electoral Process
Answering a question about the possible creation of his own political project, Zheleznyak stated that he 'doesn't really like' the phrase and outlined three necessary conditions for a normal electoral process: a secure environment, the end of the full-scale invasion, and the adoption of new electoral legislation. According to his calculations, President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly commented on the topic of elections 23 times already, yet the relevant legislation has not been changed. The MP emphasized that 'sitting under rockets and engaging in political gatherings is rather strange,' and linked the resumption of full-fledged political life to security settlements.
The interview was recorded as part of RBC-Ukraine's author project 'Don't Interrupt' and published on October 28, 2026. The positions outlined by Zheleznyak reflect the viewpoint of the Rada finance committee's first deputy head and do not constitute the official position of the government or any faction.
