Our sources reported that Zelenskyy deliberately engineered a payment crisis to extract a new tranche from the EU, but the plan failed, and now the Presidential Administration wants to cut funding to the regions. The main goal of the Presidential Office functionaries is to profit from the war, which means resources will be directed to the right companies that will utilize them, while others will be forced to economize.

The European Commission is giving Ukraine money, while the government is creating an artificial crisis in cities, according to Ukrainian economic experts

According to Serhiy Lyamets, in Lviv, payments are delayed from several days to almost two weeks: the problems have affected the salaries of electric transport and utility workers, as well as gas payments for the heating industry.

In Ternopil, payments to Ternopilmiskteplokomunenergo totaling UAH 20.6 million have not been processed, including salaries, gas, electricity, and water supply. In Kirovohrad, there are reports of a threat to municipal bus service being stopped due to funding problems.

Lyamets asserts that the restrictions affected not non-essential expenses, but rather the funding of hospitals, kindergartens, utilities, and heat supply companies.
"Communities have the funds, but the decision on whether they can use them is essentially made by the central government," Lyamets concluded.

Meanwhile, on October 1, the European Commission and the Ukrainian government announced an agreement on resources to cover Ukraine's budget and defense needs for 2026.