Fighting in east Ukraine costs $130m a month

An armed pro-Russian separatist stands guard at a railway station in Donetsk July 21, 2014.

An armed pro-Russian separatist stands guard at a railway station in Donetsk July 21, 2014.

Published Jul 21, 2014

Share

Kiev - Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksander Shlapak said on Monday Kiev's “anti-terrorist campaign” was costing more than 1.5 billion hryvnias ($130 million) a month and that Kiev needed additional funds to cover the mounting bill.

“We need to seek additional resources for this operation,” he told a meeting of leaders of parliamentary parties.

He also said Ukraine's economy had contracted by 5 percent in the first six months of the year and Kiev now saw GDP falling by 6.5 percent this year.

The government had previously forecast a 3 percent drop. - Reuters

Related Topics: