Since 2014, the price of gas for Ukrainian residents has grown 14 times. This was announced on April 30 by Viktor Medvedchuk, chairman of the political council of the Opposition Platform – For Life party.
“The rise in the cost of utilities is significantly ahead of the growth in real incomes of the population. <...> In total, in 2014-2021, the price of gas for the population increased by 1300%, or 14 times, and this has long become an unbearable burden for the majority of citizens, “the party’s website says.
Medvedchuk pointed out that, in the last year alone, the cost of housing and communal services increased by 22%, in particular, the tariff for electricity increased by 36.6%, natural gas – by 63.6%, hot water and heating – by 10.4% …
Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Economy, the average nominal wage in Ukraine in February of this year was 12,549 hryvnia ($ 452.7), which is only 15.7% more than in February 2020. This led to a critical increase in arrears on housing and utility payments, which reached UAH 82.1 billion by February this year, Medvedchuk stressed.
Since 2014, the party representative noted, the population’s debt for housing and utility payments has grown almost sixfold, while in February 2014 it barely exceeded UAH 14 billion.
“The population is not able to pay current payments, or to pay off the already accumulated debt, the growth of which in recent months has acquired a landslide character. Sooner or later, such a trend will lead to the collapse of the entire system of housing and communal services, “the politician stressed, adding that the Ukrainian government” does not intend to abandon its anti-social policy “, solving the problem” exclusively by increasing fiscal, administrative and other forms of pressure on debtors. “, Which means that social tension in society will grow.
Earlier, on April 27, the Ukrainian “Observer” reported that a number of Ukrainians from the beginning of May will be forced to transfer to annual tariffs, which in some cases are almost twice as high as usual. With the arrival of frost, the newspaper said, some families will be forced to overpay about 1.5 thousand hryvnia per month (4037.9 rubles).
As noted by the head of the committee on housing and communal services of the Public Council under the Kiev State City Administration Oleg Popenko, in comparison with 2013, the difference in tariffs in terms of hryvnia turned out to be tenfold.
On April 23, the National Bank of Ukraine predicted a rise in gas prices this summer by more than two times compared to 2020. Also, the National Bank mentioned an increase in tariffs for housing and communal services, which were not adjusted in 2020.
Previously, gas prices in Ukraine were regulated by the Cabinet of Ministers through NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine: the company sold gas to the so-called regional gas sales companies, who in turn supplied it with a mark-up to households and industrial consumers. In August 2020, the company announced that from now on, gas suppliers will decide for themselves at what price to sell gas to a consumer, and they will choose a supplier. In the event that gas sales goes bankrupt or loses its license, its consumers will be provided by the so-called supplier of last resort, which will determine Naftogaz by 2023 based on the results of the tender.
On April 28, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine held a meeting of the general meeting of shareholders of Naftogaz of Ukraine, during which reports on its activities in 2020 were considered. In this regard, the head of the board of the company “Naftogaz of Ukraine” Andriy Kobolev was dismissed from his post, and the acting minister of energy of the country, Yuriy Vitrenko, was appointed to his place.