The Ministry of Veterans Affairs Tightens Control over the Funds of the “Veteran Sport” Programme and Prepares an Interactive Map for It

The Ministry of Veterans Affairs plans to move the “Veteran Sport” programme from an experimental format to a permanent basis from January 2027.

At the same time, the mechanism for its implementation is planned to be changed, in particular by introducing a list of verified sports facilities where veterans will be able to use state funds.

This was stated in the programme “Po Zhyvomu” by Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine Ruslan Prykhodko.

According to him, the programme was initially designed for 100 thousand potential recipients, but demand turned out to be much higher. The number of veterans who have used it has grown to more than 350 thousand.

“This is fantastic growth, which has shown that sport for war veterans has indeed become a very effective tool today – for socialisation, for recovery, and for the psychological and physical recovery of our Defenders,” Prykhodko noted.

Initially, UAH 600 million was provided for the programme in the state budget. However, owing to the increase in the number of participants, the government additionally allocated another UAH 600 million from other budget programmes. Thus, the total amount of funding was UAH 1.2 billion.

According to the Deputy Minister, the ministry had planned to provide additional funding for the programme for the fourth quarter of 2026 as well. A corresponding draft of amendments to the state budget was prepared for this, but it could not be implemented because of the general restriction on non-critical expenditure amid growing needs of the front and the support of the Defence Forces.

What will change in the programme

Prykhodko explained that “Veteran Sport” was an experimental project from the very beginning. After analysing the results of its implementation, the ministry decided to move to a permanent operating model.

One of the main changes will be stronger control over the intended use of funds. In particular, it is planned to introduce a so-called white list of sports facilities that will meet defined criteria and have the right to accept payment under the programme.

It also provides for creating a common system with a public map of available sports facilities, so that veterans can find places to train.

“Our task is to change the practical mechanism itself a little so that it becomes more systemic,” the Deputy Minister explained.

The draft state budget for 2027 currently provides UAH 1.2 billion for the programme. The final amount of funding will depend on the adoption of the budget by parliament.

Prykhodko stressed that the ministry will plan the implementation of the programme in line with the financial capabilities of the state. At the same time, the development of veterans’ sport will not be limited to payments for visiting sports facilities. The ministry is also expanding the calendar of sports events and competitions, attracting international technical assistance and working on developing the relevant infrastructure, in particular in small communities.

Source: Espreso (espreso.tv), https://espreso.tv/reabilitaciya-viiskovyh-minveteraniv-posilyue-kontrol-za-koshtami-programi-veteranskiy-sport-ta-gotue-ii-interaktivnu-mapu