Top reasons why people end up in the Register of Debtors
1.4 million debts have been accumulated by Ukrainians since the beginning of the full-scale war, according to the ERB. Among the debts in the register, the largest number is currently in favor of the state, administrative offenses and traffic fines.
The Unified Register of Debtors has increased by 1.4 million debts since the start of the full-scale war. For comparison, in 2021 alone, 1.5 million entries were added to the Register. The vast majority of new debts – 1.2 million or 80% – appeared last year.
What did Ukrainians owe during the full-scale war?
The number of debts for fines for administrative offenses and for non-payment of utility bills increased the most – by 38% and 30%, respectively. For comparison, the number of utility debts increased by one and a half times in 2021.
The number of debts in favor of the state remained almost unchanged: 1.95 million debts. In the first year of the great war, their number fell by 300,000, but in 2023 it reached the same level.
Debts for traffic fines increased by a quarter. It is worth noting that the vast majority of these debts, namely ⅔ of them, were added to the register in 2022. However, in the category of “Collection of funds”, debts decreased by 27.5% – in contrast to 2021, when the number of such debts increased by almost one and a half times.
The number of alimony debtors has increased by 4.5% in two years. For comparison, in 2021, their number increased by 4.7%.
It is worth noting that as of February 24, 2022, the category “Document that does not fall into the above categories” was added to the register. It may include debts from other sections.
In total, 8.91 million debts are currently recorded in the Unified Register of Debtors. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the list has increased by 1.4 million new debts.
Context.
Starting in February 2024, Ukrainians may once again have their utilities cut off, their cards blocked, and penalties charged for debts. By Resolution No. 1405, the Government lifted the moratorium on utility disconnections for debts. This decision does not apply to IDPs and people living in the temporarily occupied territories or in the war zone.
