Zelensky responded to the petition regarding the "thousand" payment, while a parliament member labeled the disbursements as "foolish populism." Details inside.

According to the Ukrainian government's plan, payments under the "Winter eSupport" programs are intended to assist the economy during challenging times. Additionally, it was anticipated that the funds would support individuals through the winter. As questions arose regarding the appropriateness of the programs, the Cabinet will assess their effectiveness and clarify whether the established goals were achieved. Regarding the benefits of the "Thousand of Zelensky," the President of Ukraine responded on the electronic petitions portal.

Thousand of Zelensky — President's Response

On the electronic petitions portal, gratitude was first expressed to the 25,714 Ukrainians who signed the appeal for the cancellation of the payments. Following that, it was explained that the government made its decision based on two considerations:

• to assist citizens in enduring the winter;
• to stimulate economic activity.

Afterward, the President promised that Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal would analyze the effectiveness of the payments and determine whether the government achieved its planned objectives. Once the analysis results are available, the author of the petition will be informed, as stated in the note.

Reactions from Zheleznyak on the "Thousand of Zelensky"

Member of Parliament from "Holos," Yaroslav Zheleznyak reacted to the President's response under the petition regarding the assistance payments to Ukrainians. According to him, the idea of the payments is "idiotic populism," indicating the "insignificant" quality of economic ideas from officials. He further clarified that the implementation of the initiatives will cost approximately 15 billion UAH. Based on the data he possesses, he believes that the effectiveness should not be considered, as it is already zero. The politician also mentioned that the funds for the payments were likely taken from the Defense Forces' budget.

"Considering that this populism celebration will cost 15 billion UAH, it is the most ineffective use of money even compared to other programs," wrote Zheleznyak.

Electronic Petition about the Thousand of Zelensky and Other Payments

It is worth noting that the appeal for the cancellation of the "Thousand of Zelensky" ("Winter eSupport") and funds from the "National Cashback" program appeared on the electronic petitions portal on November 14, 2024. The petition's author is a citizen named Roman Stan. Stan listed issues with the state budget, military expenditures, and problems affecting the economy and businesses. He concluded that under such conditions, it is better not to incur additional expenses and outlined the problems he sees related to the payments. The required number of votes, at least 25,000, was gathered by December 3.

Meanwhile, First Deputy Minister of Economy Oleksiy Sobolev explained in the fall that the funds for winter payments come from the budget and are being redistributed from existing programs. He also noted that the source of financing is international aid, which, according to the conditions, should not be spent on military needs. Yaroslav Zheleznyak added that this concerns investment programs and humanitarian demining efforts. The MP cited the expenditure figure as 3.7 billion UAH.

We remind you that in mid-December, the Minister of Digital Transformation shared how Ukrainians spent the "Thousand of Zelensky". The "Diia" portal reported by when the funds should be used.