This week, Ukrainians began to receive utility bills for January at new rates. The State Statistics Service of Ukraine has summed up the increase in the cost of utilities.
A year ago, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky ordered to deal with utility tariffs, but this only led to another increase in the cost of services.
According to data published by the Ukrainian State Statistics Service, as of January last year, the price for water supply increased by 31.5%, for sewage – 36.6%, for electricity – 36.6%. In January of this year, gas in Ukraine “fell in price” by 4.5%, but if we compare the cost of a cubic meter of gas in January 2020, it has become more expensive by almost 35%.
The rise in the cost of utilities triggered massive protests across Ukraine. People massively take to the streets of cities, block roads and demand the abolition of the increase in utility tariffs.
“Prices are high, there is no salary, there is nowhere to work. We have a family – two elderly parents and me. All three are pensioners. I don’t have a pension yet, my parents have a pension of six thousand hryvnia in total. For gas, services now you need to pay 5 thousand UAH. Then how?”- said a participant of the “tariff protest” in Transcarpathia.