“Half to Veterans, Half to YeVidnovlennia”? How Government Officials and MP Tkachenko Left 35,000 Combat Veteran IDP Families Without Housing

Housing vouchers worth 2 million hryvnias for defender-displaced persons have turned into empty studio promises, backroom reallocations of international tranches, and a 26-day bureaucratic runaround by the relevant ministry.

Providing housing for combat veterans who are also internally displaced persons (combat veteran IDPs) is increasingly turning into a convenient platform for political PR and the illusion of hard work. While officials brag about their heavy workload and launch Telegram chats, real funding for the housing voucher program remains blocked, and millions of euros in international aid vanish in directions far removed from the urgent needs of people from occupied territories.

Studio Promises: The Tale of 50 Million Euros

On September 22, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 1176, aimed at providing housing for combat veteran IDPs through targeted housing vouchers (2 million UAH each). In May 2026, the state funded the first 3,500 vouchers. Back then, officials loudly assured that the next funding wave would roll out in September 2026.

September has passed, yet not a single hryvnia has arrived. Defenders are merely fed boilerplate replies claiming that “negotiations to attract international funding are ongoing,” without any specific dates or amounts.

On October 3, during a broadcast on “VPO Media”, People's Deputy of Ukraine and co-founder of the NGO “VPO Ukraine” Maksym Tkachenko made a bold statement:

Відеозапис етеру на каналі «VPO медіа» (початок заяви народного депутата М. Ткаченка — з 13:46)

“Thank God, an agreement was reached on an additional 50 million euros... Based on what Vitaliy [Bezgin, head of the reorganized Ministry for Communities and Territories Development] told me during our previous meetings, the funds will be divided between both programs: for YeVidnovlennia certificates and for these 2 million housing vouchers. The funds have already arrived, and this reallocation will take place very soon... If it is 50/50, then around 2,000 more families will be able to receive these compensations in the near future”.

These words spread across social media, inspiring hope among a waitlist exceeding 35,000 families of Ukrainian heroes. However, the reality turned out to be completely different.

Unmasking the Spin: Where the Money Really Went

While the MP was convincing viewers of imminent funding for the combat veteran IDP waitlist, Minister Vitaliy Bezgin never once confirmed in his media appearances that these international funds would reach displaced veterans under Resolution No. 1176.

The record was set straight by official announcements from the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Ministry of Finance, followed by detailed coverage across industry media:

• The €50 million tranche from the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and the Government of Italy under the HOME project had indeed reached Ukraine.
• The entire sum was allocated exclusively to housing certificates under the “YeVidnovlennia” program (covering approximately 2,200 families).
• Funding for the housing voucher program for combat veteran IDPs under Resolution No. 1176 stood at exactly 0%.

MP Tkachenko's promises regarding a supposed “50/50” split agreed upon with the minister turned out to be either outright public deception for self-promotion or evidence of his total lack of influence over real cabinet decisions,. Instead of the promised September, officials are now vaguely deferring the vouchers to December 2026 or into 2027.

 Ministry of Veterans Affairs: 26 Days to Say “It’s Not Our Problem”

Simultaneously, another facet of institutional sabotage came to light. Deputy Minister for Veterans Affairs Ruslan Prykhodko repeatedly claims that the ministry exists exclusively as a single-window service for veterans and must solve their problems rather than bounce them between agencies.

The official correspondence of the Oleksandrivsk City Council (Luhansk Oblast) showed what truly happens.

Chronology of Institutional Neglect:

1. On September 30, 2026, the Mayor of Oleksandrivsk, war veteran Mykola Hrekov, sent an official inquiry to the Ministry of Veterans Affairs (registered on October 1, 2026, under No. 28650/14-26), requesting clear deadlines and funding amounts under Resolution No. 1176.
2. On October 26, 2026 (outgoing No. 28376/1.3/3.3-26), Deputy Minister Olha Maliarchuk replied: the Ministry of Veterans Affairs is not the executing body for Resolution No. 1176, has no authority, and is simply forwarding the inquiry to the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development!

Direct Violation of the Law: Under Article 7 of the Law of Ukraine “On Citizens' Petitions”, if an issue falls outside an agency's competence, the request must be forwarded to the competent body within no more than 5 days, notifying the applicant. It took the Ministry of Veterans Affairs 26 calendar days just to produce a formal brush-off and forward the letter to another agency, completely disregarding statutory deadlines.

Demands of the Veteran Community

The veteran community of Luhansk Oblast and other occupied territories demands an immediate halt to replacing real housing policy with concert tickets and merchandise.

The Oleksandrivsk City Council has formally called on People's Deputy Maksym Tkachenko to fulfill his duties and immediately file an official parliamentary inquiry to the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister Bezgin to answer:

1. Why were the 50 million euros in aid completely diverted away from the combat veteran IDP voucher program?
2. Exactly when will the next tranches arrive, and what specific amount will be dedicated to Resolution No. 1176?
3. What is the firm date for resuming voucher payments, and what sum is being budgeted for 2027?

Officials will have to provide verified, signed answers rather than hiding behind vague soundbites.