A new type of “economic tourism” has been discovered in Ukraine – mass registration in the exclusion zone of Chernobyl. This practice, although dangerous, has become profitable for many. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the number of citizens who have taken advantage of this scheme has increased from 10,000 to as many as 135,400 people. By in words Deputy Minister of Social Policy Daryna Marchak, this causes significant losses to the state budget – about 15 billion hryvnias per year.
Ukrainians who have never lived in the Chernobyl zone issue fictitious registrations in unlivable houses – sometimes even in apartments where dozens of people “live” at the same time. Through the court, they receive the status of a resident of the zone of radiation contamination, which allows them to receive a monthly pension supplement.
“Today, almost 135,400 pensioners receive such payments. And two years ago, there were only about 10,000 such people, and it cost the state UAH 51.4 million per month.” – says Marchak.
Over the past two years, spending on this scheme has grown to 1.5 billion hryvnias every month, which is 15 billion hryvnias a year. And this is in the conditions of war, when every penny should be directed to the defense and restoration of the country. Law enforcement officers have already discovered numerous cases when people register en masse in houses without a roof or water supply.
The Chernobyl zone, which for a long time was a symbol of the tragedy, now became the personification of another problem – unsettled social policy. In the conditions of war, this question acquires special importance, because instead of heroism and unity, the country is faced with other examples of dishonesty. Ukraine needs not only heroes at the front, but also conscious citizens who are ready to act in the interests of the future, and not seek benefits in schemes.
