Page 15 - UKRRptApr21

gas and heat for the population are too high, 3% consider them normal, and 0.4% – too low.
So, the lower the level of the respondents' well-being, the more often they consider them high – the share of such people grows from 81% among those who answered that in general they live well, to 95% among the poorest strata. According to the poll, citizens most often attribute responsibility for the growth of utility tariffs to the government of the country (29% of respondents) and the President of Ukraine (24%), 13% attribute responsibility to the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission of Ukraine (NEURC), 9.5% – to the Verkhovna Rada, 7% – to energy companies, 6% – to companies providing utility services, and 5% – to NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy.
Prices for housing and utility services in Ukraine have increased 18.4% over the past year, reports the State Statistics Service. What’s more, these tariffs (which are inclusive of the cost of electricity) jumped 10% between December 2020 and January 2021 (RBC Ukraine). 93% of Ukrainians believe that tariffs for electricity, gas, and heating are inflated, and this view is shared by 95% of those who belong to the country’s poorest strata. Moreover, 29% of respondents consider the government responsible for the rising cost of utilities, while 24% blame the president specifically.
According to another Razumkov Center poll, 36% of Ukrainians are prepared to come out to protest against high tariffs “a significant increase in utility tariffs” and 33% are ready to demonstrate against “a significant increase in prices of basic necessities.” Overall, 44% of those surveyed said that “in the event of a significant deterioration in living conditions,” taking to the streets in protest would be better than sitting at home “for the sake of maintaining order in the country.”
The government’s controls on gas and electricity costs expire on April 1. And the Energy Ministry clearly isn’t planning to extend the cap on gas; Naftogaz is already issuing reminders about the impending transition to market-based prices (Ekonomichna Pravda). In other words, the government is about to pull the trigger on a “significant increase in utility tariffs,”, which means a new wave of protests could be coming in the spring.
15 UKRAINE Country Report April 2021 www.intellinews.com