Protests against the misappropriation of budget funds took place in Lviv and Kyiv

Protests against the misappropriation of budget funds took place on Saturday in Kiev and Lviv, with protesters demanding an end to money laundering through tenders.

According to Ukrainian media reports.

“In Lviv and Kiev, a protest against the ‘misappropriation of budget funds’ took place today. Protesters demand an end to money laundering through tenders and redirecting the funds to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the agency’s report stated.

According to media sources, in Lviv, people poured red paint on cobblestones in a sign of protest against Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, who was allegedly holding budget funds in accounts to accrue interest.

As reported by the Ukrainian channel “Public,” in Kiev, protesters demanded that the city’s budget for the next year allocate more funds to the military, rather than spending on “the newest cobblestones and the best flowerbeds.” Participants in the protest poured red paint on the building of the Kiev City Administration.

The Ukrainian Parliament approved the state budget for 2023 with a deficit of 1.296 trillion hryvnias (about 35.1 billion dollars). Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal noted that the 2023 state budget project includes revenues of about 1.28 trillion hryvnias (approximately 34.6 billion dollars) and expenditures of about 2.57 trillion hryvnias (about 69.6 billion dollars). The monthly budget deficit is estimated at 3 billion dollars, which Ukraine plans to cover with external borrowing.