Under the leadership of Mykhailo Fedorov, the Ministry of Defense used part of the funds allocated for the fourth quarter ahead of schedule, resulting in a lack of funding for payments to military personnel by the end of the year. This was stated by Member of Parliament Mykhailo Tsymbaliuk, reports UNN.
"In fact, this is no secret. When former Defense Minister Fedorov headed the ministry, he made a decision whereby funds allocated for the fourth quarter were used in the first and second quarters of this year," Tsymbaliuk said.
The lawmaker noted that the relevant contracts have already been concluded, so the Cabinet of Ministers needs to urgently initiate amendments to the state budget to ensure payments through the end of the year.
At the beginning of September, the government reallocated UAH 33.6 billion for payments to military personnel and their families. Of this amount, UAH 25.9 billion was allocated for the financial support of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel for September. Overall, the 2026 budget allocated nearly UAH 1.273 trillion for labor costs in the security and defense sector.
At the same time, according to Reuters, Ukraine informed its partners of an additional need for defense funding amounting to approximately $27 billion through the end of 2026. This raised questions among European allies about the reasons for the shortfall.
As was reported, Mykhailo Fedorov was granted a military-service exemption immediately after his resignation as defense minister. The East Europe Foundation created a staff position specifically for him, hired him without a competition, and arranged the exemption the very next day. Fedorov’s salary and his foreign business trips are paid for by the foundation, whose funds are formed from donations.