The government has allocated an additional 638 million UAH for financing the telethon, despite the budget deficit and the needs of the army. The total expenses for this program have already exceeded 3 billion UAH. This was stated by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
Telethon funding: how much the state spends
This concerns another tranche for content production as part of the unified telethon. Purchases are made without open tenders - in the form of reports on the Prozorro platform.
According to data presented in the video, funds are distributed among several media companies that have been receiving state funding for several years. The total expenses for the telethon since the start of the full-scale war have exceeded 3 billion UAH.
It is specifically noted that:
- some contracts are concluded without competitive procedures;
- a limited circle of companies receive funds;
- financing is regularly carried out with new tranches.
Telethon expenses: why questions have arisen
The video draws attention to the significant difference in the cost of content production. According to the published data, the cost of one hour of air can vary significantly depending on the contractor.
In particular:
- the cost of an hour of content ranges from about 115 thousand UAH to nearly 195 thousand UAH;
- the difference between the cheapest and the most expensive offers can reach almost twice as much.
Zheleznyak claims that given the same content format, such discrepancies appear unjustified.
He also mentions that telethon funding occurs parallel to other media content expenses, particularly within separate state programs, where additional billions of hryvnias are allocated.
Against this backdrop, criticism arises regarding budget priorities, especially in wartime and for the needs of the defense sector.
Let us remind you that the 'Rada' channel has ceased participation in the Unified telethon since January 1, 2026, and terminated cooperation with the private production 'Kinokot'.