Ukrainian Politicians Spent 33 Million on Meta Ads in 2025: A Look at the Top Spenders

Political Ad Spending in 2025

According to Главком: Ukrainian politicians and organizations invested over 33 million hryvnias in advertising on Meta's Facebook and Instagram platforms during 2025. This data, sourced from Meta's ad library and analyzed by the 'Chesno' (Honestly) movement, reveals a slight decrease in spending on political and social advertising compared to the previous year. Social media advertising has become a crucial battleground for political influence in Ukraine's digital landscape.

The top-spending individual politician was Valeriy Parkhomenko, First Deputy Mayor of Poltava, who allocated roughly 1.5 million hryvnias to promote his personal blog. This figure is eight times higher than his 2024 ad spend, which was just over 4,000 dollars. In dollar terms, his 2025 expenditure exceeded 35,000 USD.

• Other politicians with significant advertising outlays included:
• Poltava Regional Council deputy Oleksiy Chepurko, who spent approximately 600,000 hryvnias promoting his page.
• Former Member of Parliament Oleksandr Vilkul, who invested nearly 4,000 dollars in advertising his page over recent years.
• Former Ecology Minister Ihor Shevchenko, who spent about 460,000 hryvnias (nearly 11,000 dollars) in 2025 to promote his blog.
• Viktor Kurtiev, with expenditures over 13,800 dollars, equivalent to more than half a million hryvnias.

Among national parliamentarians, Oleksandr Feldman stands out, having spent over 9,500 dollars (around 400,000 hryvnias) in 2025-a 68-fold increase from his 2024 ad budget. MP Petro Poroshenko spent roughly 300,000 hryvnias on ads, 2.5 times more than the year before. Oleksandr Kachura and Larysa Bilozir each allocated approximately 250,000 hryvnias for advertising.

Organizational Advertising Expenditures

Organizations also contributed to the total. The Kyiv School of Public Administration named after S. Nyzhnyi led with spending exceeding 46,000 dollars (about 1.9 million hryvnias). The civic organization 'Narodna Mriya' (People's Dream) used nearly 270,000 hryvnias to promote Oleg Sarkits, who himself spent around 250,000 hryvnias.

The 'Novyny.Live' (News.Live) page was another active advertiser, allocating over 700,000 hryvnias. Oleksandr Kapshin spent an estimated 400,000 hryvnias on promotion. Overall, the 2025 advertising expenditures highlight the continued, though slightly diminished, activity of Ukrainian politicians and organizations on social networks.

The reduction in ad spending for 2025 may indicate shifts in political campaign strategies or an adaptation to a new competitive environment.

This trend could stem from various factors, including changes in electoral regulations, the economic climate, or shifts in voter behavior. The significant ad investments by certain politicians, particularly on social media, underscore their efforts to maintain public engagement and cultivate a positive digital image.