A pensioner asked how to survive on 80 USD pension and pay large utility bills at the same time15:14, 1 February 2020MP from Servant of the people party Yevhen BragarOpen source The MP from Servant of the people party Yevhen Bragar advised the pensioner to sell a dog in order to pay for utilities. This Bragar stated on the air of “Voice of the people” show broadcasted by 112 Ukraine.

So, answering the question of a pensioner from the Kirovograd region regarding how to live on a pension of 2 000 UAH (80 USD) and at the same time pay utility bills, Bragar suggested she should sell the dog if she has any.

“Living in these conditions is difficult, but we still do not know if she has any other property. […] If there is a  dog of the elite breed, then she can sell it at any time and easily pay,” the MP said.

Earlier, Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk instructed the local authorities to ensure that in January and February Ukrainians received cheaper payments for utilities than it was in December. 

 As we reported, from January 1, 2020, the minimum pension in Ukraine is 1638 UAH (65,5 USD), from July 1 it will increase to 1712 UAH (68,4 USD), from December 1 – up to 1769 UAH (70,7 USD).

Pension Fund of Ukraine has published data on the number of retirees and average pensions as of January 1, 2020. It was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the Pension Fund’s publication on Facebook. According to the Pension Fund, as of January 1, there were 11,3 million pensioners in Ukraine, and the average pension was 127 dollars.

(C)112UA 2020