Topic: Government
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Ukraine receives $841 million from World Bank under Canadian guarantees for pension payments
Ukraine has received $841 million in financing from the World Bank under guarantees from the Canadian government, with the funds directed to reimbursing state budget pension expenditures. The transfer was raised under the PEACE in Ukraine project, whose total volume has now reached $54.3 billion. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky announced the funding via Telegram and thanked Canada and the World Bank for timely assistance amid a significant budget deficit.
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Russia strikes 13 oblasts and Kyiv in mass overnight drone and missile attack; four killed in Dnipro
Russian forces launched a combined drone and missile attack on the night of 21–22 September, striking 13 Ukrainian oblasts and Kyiv. In Dnipro, a missile strike killed four people and injured six, with a rescue operation ongoing. Ukrainian air defence intercepted 186 aerial targets, but hits and debris were recorded at 26 locations, with damage to energy and railway infrastructure, fuel storage, food warehouses and residential buildings.
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Ukraine ends simplified СЗЧ return program; longer general procedure now in place
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence announced that the simplified voluntary return program for servicemembers whose unauthorized absence (СЗЧ) was recorded before 12 June 2026 ended on 20 September. Returns are now processed under a general procedure through the Military Law Enforcement Service (ВСП) and reserve battalions, with a longer process, longer wait for pay restoration, and no option to independently choose a unit.
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Russian strikes idle three plants that produced 90% of Ukraine's steel
Russian ballistic missile strikes in early September knocked out three major Ukrainian metallurgical plants — Zaporizhstal, Kametstal and ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih — which together had accounted for about 90% of Ukraine's steel output. The attacks killed 17 workers and halted production at facilities employing more than 15,000 people. Metinvest's Oleksandr Vodoviz said Ukraine "effectively no longer has a steel industry."
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Russian drone strike hits commuter train in Kharkiv Oblast, killing one
On 18 September, Russian forces struck a suburban electric train near the Lypkuvativka platform in the Novovodolazka hromada of Kharkiv Oblast with a Geran-4 jet drone. One person was killed and several others injured, even though Ukrzaliznytsia's monitoring group had detected the threat and ordered an evacuation before impact.
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EU to send Ukraine additional €3.3 billion for missiles and drones
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced, after a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, that the EU would allocate an additional €3.3 billion to Ukraine for missiles and drones, to be disbursed on Friday, 18 September, under the Ukraine Support Loan program. The announcement was paired with a proposed new joint EU–Ukraine defense initiative, funded through remaining SAFE program funds, aimed at developing a European air and missile defense system based on the joint Freya/Freyja anti-ballistic system.
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Ukraine applies for membership in OECD Nuclear Energy Agency
Ukraine is applying for membership in the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), First Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal announced at the "Roadmaps to New Nuclear 2026" ministerial conference in Paris. The bid comes alongside announcements on domestic nuclear fuel production, Western supply partnerships, and plans to expand electricity export capacity to the EU.
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Zelensky orders return of asset declarations for rear-echelon security officials, signs call-center fraud law
On 16 September 2026, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the preparation of a decision to reinstate mandatory asset declarations for law enforcement officers and Security Forces members who are not at war, in a scope sufficient to monitor their property and lifestyle. In the same address he signed a law introducing criminal liability for fraudulent call centers and ordered a vetting of all heads of central executive bodies, citing high corruption risks at the tax service, ARMA, and various inspectorates.
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Ukraine's parliament backs reboot of energy regulator in first reading
On 16 September, the Verkhovna Rada adopted draft law No. 14282 in its first reading, with 249 MPs voting in favour. The bill aims to strengthen the independence of the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Utility Services (NKREKP) and set the stage for a full reboot of the regulator after adoption. It also responds to a major corruption case in the energy sector by seeking to remove associates of the implicated figures from the body.
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Germany reviews hospital readiness for potential conflict with Russia
Germany is conducting a large-scale review of its hospitals to assess their ability to cope with a potential military conflict, including a possible Russia–NATO war. The Bundeswehr is considering reopening a Cold War-era underground medical bunker in Ulm, while training programs are being expanded to address a shortage of combat trauma specialists. Officials warn that Germany's five military hospitals would be overwhelmed by a worst-case scenario of up to 1,000 wounded soldiers arriving per day.
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Ukrainian parliament approves in first reading VAT on foreign marketplace purchases
On 16 September, the Verkhovna Rada voted in first reading for a package of bills introducing VAT on goods bought through foreign marketplaces, regardless of value. 273 MPs backed the Tax Code amendment and 267 supported a separate customs bill. Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said the legislation is part of Ukraine's obligations to the IMF and the EU and warned that the country has already missed a €4 billion tranche, with an October tranche still contingent on passage.
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Ukraine's government submits 2027 draft budget to parliament: defense at 44% of GDP, $52.6 billion external financing required
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved and submitted the draft State Budget for 2027 to the Verkhovna Rada on September 15, 2026. The bill, registered as No. 16000, allocates 4 trillion 885 billion hryvnias (about 43.8–44% of GDP) to defense and security, projects total expenditures of 7 trillion 272 billion hryvnias, and identifies an external financing requirement of $52.6 billion, of which only $20 billion has been confirmed by partners.
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EU commissioners set conditions in letter to Ukrainian lawmakers on extra defence funding
European commissioners have sent a letter to Ukrainian members of parliament setting out the conditions under which the EU would provide additional financing, responding to Ukraine's request for an extra $27 billion in defence funding. The letter, signed by Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, spells out legislative commitments Ukraine must meet under the Ukraine Facility and Ukraine Support Loan programmes.
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Ukraine tests new interceptor against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones, Zelensky says
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on September 15 that Ukraine had successfully tested a new interceptor drone designed to shoot down Russian jet-powered Shahed-type drones, following a briefing from Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi. During the test the interceptor hit a Russian Shahed, though Zelensky said some aspects of the interceptor's control still need refinement. The announcement came alongside discussions of long-range strikes on Russia's oil infrastructure and Ukrainian de-escalation conditions.
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Ukraine risks losing part of $29.5 billion in foreign financing without parliamentary votes, PM Koretsky warns
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky warned that Ukraine risks losing a significant portion of an anticipated $29.5 billion in international financing if the Verkhovna Rada delays the required legislation, and said the government will send parliament a schedule with clear deadlines for each vote. He described the country's state finances as close to critical and said the government plans to complete its own share of 42 commitments by October 15, having accelerated the timeline from the previously announced November 1 deadline.
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Ukraine's PM outlines $56.5 billion in year-end financial needs, split between macrofinancing and defense
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky told the Yalta European Strategy forum that Ukraine faces two urgent financial challenges by year-end: $29.5 billion in confirmed macrofinancing at risk of not being received, and an additional $27 billion needed for defense forces. The government pledged to finish its part of the work by mid-October, including submitting required draft laws in September and finalizing all Cabinet resolutions by October 15, while calling on parliament to pass 27 outstanding bills.
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Ukraine better prepared for winter energy strikes than last year, PM tells YES forum
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky told the YES 2026 conference in Kyiv that Ukraine is significantly better prepared for Russian attacks on energy infrastructure than last winter, while warning that full protection is impossible and the coming months will be difficult. He outlined contingency planning and decentralized support for regions and said the government must prepare for a prolonged war, even if a ceasefire is reached.
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Ukraine's defence minister meets US senators, hands over list of military needs focused on air defence
Ukraine's Defence Minister Yevheniy Khmara met with US senators Tom Tillis, John Curtis and Alan Armstrong and presented a concrete list of Ukrainian needs to counter Russian aggression, with air defence as a priority. The talks covered the battlefield situation, Russian threats, Ukraine's air defence requirements and further support for the Defence Forces, including through the PURL and JUMPSTART weapons-supply mechanisms.
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Ukraine plans $2–3 billion war-risk insurance fund for businesses, partly funded by VAT hike
Ukraine's Minister of Economy Oleksandr Kravchenko announced plans for a $2–3 billion insurance fund to compensate businesses for losses from Russian attacks, with payouts targeted to begin on January 1, 2027. The government proposes funding part of the fund by raising VAT from 20% to 21%, a politically sensitive move that has not yet been finalized.
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Ukraine's Defence Ministry confirms payment delays to manufacturers under 'eBally' program
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence acknowledged delays in paying defence manufacturers for equipment supplied under the 'eBally' (єБали) digital bonus program, calling them technical and blaming planned refinancing through EU credit funds and upcoming changes to the points system. The head of the Ukrainian Council of Arms Makers said debt to individual manufacturers ranges from 24 million to hundreds of millions of hryvnias, hitting small companies hardest.