Current:Home > InvestKyiv protesters demand more spending on the Ukraine’s war effort and less on local projects -ThriveEdge Finance
Kyiv protesters demand more spending on the Ukraine’s war effort and less on local projects
View
Date:2025-04-12 19:59:41
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Hundreds of protesters angered by what they view as wasteful spending by municipal officials gathered outside Kyiv City Hall on Thursday and demanded that the money should go to Ukraine’s war against Russia instead of local projects.
The Money for the AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine) civic group, which organized the protest, was formed in September by people concerned by what they term “unnecessary” and “poorly timed” spending by the Kyiv City Council.
The protesters, who appeared to be mostly in their 20s and 30s, gathered despite multiple air alerts and cold, damp weather. They dispersed in the afternoon when air defense systems burst into action to fend off a missile attack.
Protestors chanted, “It’s better to buy drones than build a new park” and, “The more money we spend on the army, the faster Ukraine will win this war.”
“At a time when our friends, parents and acquaintances are dying at the front, we have more pressing matters than rebuilding roads and beautifying parks,” Kateryna Zaderey, one of the protesters, told The Associated Press.
Street protests in Ukraine were rare after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, which brought regular bombardment of the capital. Recently, though, demonstrations have gathered momentum, and Thursday’s protest was the largest so far over municipal spending.
Municipal graft was regarded as a deep problem in Kyiv before the war. Corruption allegations have dogged Ukraine as it has received billions of dollars of Western support for its war effort. The issue has also been a hurdle for Ukraine’s ambition to join the European Union, which was holding a summit to discuss providing Ukraine with 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in budget assistance and the country’s prospects of EU membership.
In June, there was a wave of public outrage after three people died in a missile attack on Kyiv. They had been unable to enter a hospital bomb shelter that turned out to be locked.
The incident drew public attention to the state of the city’s bomb shelters and sparked criticism of Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
A subsequent investigation by Kyiv prosecutors found multiple violations in how 1.2 billion hryvnias ($32.5 million) from the city budget for the repair and maintenance of bomb shelters in 2022-2023 was actually spent.
Among the surprising ways money was spent on making bomb shelters comfortable were the purchases of 306 leather drums for “psychological relief of children during air raids,” which cost the city almost a million UAH ($27,000), a professional electric fryer stand for 720,000 UAH ($19,500), and 12 vegetable-cutters totaling 1.6 million UAH ($43,300).
Recent protests have focused on city maintenance and infrastructure projects worth millions of dollars that demonstrators said should have been spent on the Ukrainian military.
During Thursday’s protest, Klitschko told a city council meeting that Kyiv will spend an additional 600 million UAH ($16.2 million) on the needs of the military in addition to the 7 billion UAH ($190 million) that was already spent on the military’s needs in 2023.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
veryGood! (41942)
Related
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Shohei Ohtani hits HR No. 48, but Los Angeles Dodgers fall to Miami Marlins
- Woman accused of driving an SUV into a crowd in Minneapolis and killing a teenager
- The Laneige Holiday Collection 2024 Is Here: Hurry to Grab Limited-Edition Bestsellers, Value Sets & More
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Julia Fox Sets the Record Straight on Pregnancy After Sharing Video With Baby Bump
- Heather Gay Reveals RHOSLC Alum's Surprising Connection to Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Star
- Boar's Head to 'permanently discontinue' liverwurst after fatal listeria outbreak
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Diddy is accused of sex 'freak off' parties, violence, abuse. What happened to 'transparency'?
Ranking
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Federal Reserve is set to cut interest rates for the first time in 4 years
- Text of the policy statement the Federal Reserve released Wednesday
- Bachelorette: Jenn Tran's Ex Devin Strader Was Arrested, Had Restraining Order From Ex-Girlfriend in Past
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Riding wave of unprecedented popularity, WNBA announces 15th team will go to Portland
- Why Deion Sanders believes Travis Hunter can still play both ways in NFL
- Jason Kelce Has Cheeky Response to Critic “Embarrassed” by His Dancing
Recommendation
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
Amazon announces dates for its October Prime Day sales
Jamie-Lynn Sigler Shares Son Beau, 11, Has No Memory of Suffering Rare Illness
Florida sheriff posts mug shot of 11-year-old charged in fake school shooting threat
The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
Emily Deschanel on 'uncomfortable' and 'lovely' parts of rewatching 'Bones'
NASA plans for launch of Europa Clipper: What to know about craft's search for life
Travis County sues top Texas officials, accusing them of violating National Voter Registration Act