---
title: "Zheleznyak: 2027 Budget Is Unrealistic, Zelensky Mentioned Elections 23 Times, but No Law Exists"
description: "MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak in an RBC-Ukraine interview called the 2027 budget unrealistic, demanded a review of military salaries, and pointed out 23 public statements by Zelensky on elections without changing the legislation."
date: 2026-10-28T05:07:38.370Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zheleznyak-2027-budget-elections-interview
tags: [ukraine, budget-2027, zelensky, rada, military-salaries, anti-corruption, elections]
author: "Marina Slivenko, Alexander Buran"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Zheleznyak: 2027 Budget Is Unrealistic, Zelensky Mentioned Elections 23 Times, but No Law Exists

![Ukrainian Member of Parliament and financial expert Yaroslav Zheleznyak in a studio during an interview](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/28/jeleznyak-byudzhet-2027-vyibory-intervyu/jeleznyak-byudzhet-2027-vyibory-intervyu-1.webp)

## Key Points

- Zheleznyak called the 2027 budget draft unrealistic due to falling GDP amid trillion-dollar expenditures
- A group of 13 MPs supported an amendment on mandatory military salary revisions (minimum 200 bln UAH)
- Western partners cover 50–60% of Ukraine's needs while demanding anti-corruption reforms
- Zelensky mentioned elections publicly 23 times, but electoral legislation remains unchanged
- On October 27, 2026, the Rada supported the 2027 budget in the first reading

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.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Зеленский 23 раза говорил о выборах, но законодательство не изменено: интервью с Железняком](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/zelenskiy-23-razi-govoriv-vibori-ale-zakonodavstvo-1793111947.html) - Primary source: published interview of Yaroslav Zheleznyak in the RBC-Ukraine project 'Don't Interrupt'. All quotes, figures (200 bln, 50 bln, 18 bln, 365 mln euros, 1.6 bln, 5.4 bln, 23 times) and the voting fact on 27.10.2026 are taken from this text. No secondary sources for cross-verification were provided.

## FAQ

### What is the main flaw of the 2027 budget according to Zheleznyak?

The deputy called the project unrealistic: with a falling GDP, the government is budgeting expenditures in trillions of dollars. Separately, he highlighted the zero increase in military salaries—the 20,000 hryvnia base rate has not been indexed since 2022.

### What did MPs propose to finance the revision of military salaries?

A group of 13 MPs supported an amendment obligating the government to revise military salaries. To fund this (at least 200 bln UAH), it was proposed to cut expenditures on telethons, cashback, road and defense industry programs, and close corruption schemes in tobacco, alcohol, casinos, and customs.

### How many times did Zelensky publicly mention elections?

According to Yaroslav Zheleznyak's calculation, President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly commented on the topic of elections 23 times recently, but electoral legislation, according to him, is still unchanged.

### What conditions are necessary for the resumption of the electoral process?

Zheleznyak named three conditions: a secure environment, the end of the full-scale invasion, and the adoption of new electoral legislation.