How Mykola Lutsenko’s Pension Has Changed
Ukrainian actor and TV host Mykola Lutsenko has opened up about the decline in his pension payments. In 2014, he was receiving roughly 26,000 hryvnias per month, but inflation and the ongoing war have significantly reduced that amount. While he did not disclose his current pension figure, he confirmed that he relies on personal savings to get by. Lutsenko’s situation reflects a broader trend affecting many retirees in Ukraine, where economic pressures have eroded purchasing power.
“My pension has shrunk by half. Inflation. When I retired in 2014, I had a very decent pension—close to the maximum, around 26,000 hryvnias.”
— Mykola Lutsenko
The actor stressed that these changes are an unavoidable result of the country’s economic conditions: “That’s just how it is. It’s objective. Everyone’s in the same boat. It reflects the state of our economy. Especially now, during the war, but they still pay regularly and even carry out indexation—that’s not easy.”
Lutsenko also highlighted the importance of having a financial safety net at his age to handle unexpected emergencies:
“At my age, you absolutely need one. Any sensible person must have some kind of cushion. I’ve had all sorts of situations. An ambulance picks me up in the middle of the night—heart attack or stroke. Where do you run? I earned money before, but then you’d have to go borrowing. And where would you go? I hate doing that.”
— Mykola Lutsenko
It’s worth noting that Lutsenko’s show ‘Mykolyna Pohoda’ airs on ICTV2 from Monday to Friday. The actor gave this interview to ‘RBK-Ukraine Life’, and it was later republished by ‘Glavkom’.
Lutsenko’s remarks underscore the widespread challenges many Ukrainians face, particularly amid economic instability and war. The erosion of pension benefits due to inflation has become a pressing issue, directly impacting the financial security of older citizens. This also raises urgent questions about how Ukraine’s pension system can adapt to modern realities, potentially requiring new approaches to indexation and financial support mechanisms.