Overview
- Serhiy Leshchenko, a supervisory-board member and presidential office adviser, told lawmakers the railway's internal reserves are exhausted and operations could stop without urgent action.
- He reported a net loss of 7.19 billion hryvnias for the first nine months of the year and said freight volumes have fallen by about 49%.
- Leshchenko called for three measures: internal optimization including scrap metal sales worth up to 10 billion hryvnias, 16 billion in state budget compensation, and indexation of freight tariffs.
- The Verkhovna Rada voted to summon Leshchenko to explain the UZ-3000 initiative offering free passenger travel up to 3,000 km.
- Management says the program would run for four months in a low-demand period and be funded by added services and higher prices for paying passengers, but it will not eliminate the need for budget support.