Free 3,000 km of train travel and 1,000 hryvnia from Zelensky: how the programmes will work

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the launch of two large-scale initiatives: free travel across Ukraine for 3,000 kilometres and a one-time payment of 1,000 hryvnias as part of the ‘winter support’ programme. These measures are aimed at helping citizens and stimulating domestic tourism. Find out who is eligible for the programmes, when applications will be accepted, and how to receive payments or free kilometres

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President Volodymyr Zelensky announced two new initiatives to support Ukrainians — transport and social. The first will provide free rail travel throughout the country, while the second will provide 1,000 hryvnia as part of the ‘winter support’ programme. Both programmes are aimed at making life easier for citizens in difficult economic conditions and at the same time stimulating domestic tourism and consumption.

UZ-3000, or 3,000 km of free travel across Ukraine

The UZ-3000 programme, developed by Ukrzaliznytsia on behalf of the president, will launch in Ukraine in the near future. Every Ukrainian will be able to travel up to 3,000 kilometres across the country for free — for example, on the Lviv-Kyiv, Kyiv-Dnipro or even Zaporizhzhia-Uzhhorod routes and back. The programme will cover long-distance domestic flights, except for the premium segment.

Ukrzaliznytsia explained that the aim of the project is to relieve peak periods and support domestic tourism in the low season. Usually, in summer, the railway carries about 2.6 million passengers, and in winter — only 1.9 million. Thanks to the programme, the company will be able to fill up to 250,000 additional seats per month without increasing costs.

In addition, UZ-3000 will become a social tool — residents of frontline regions will be given priority for travel during periods of high demand. Those who are unable to use all their kilometres may be offered other forms of compensation.

According to Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, chairman of the board of Ukrzaliznytsia, under the UZ-3000 program, Ukrainians will only be able to travel during off-peak periods when the carriages are half-empty. The initiative will last four months, during a time when demand for tickets is traditionally lower. Initially, the plan is to focus on passengers from frontline areas.

The program will not apply to first-class carriages, SV carriages, and international flights — for these ticket categories, dynamic pricing and additional services will be provided to help offset the costs of the social initiative.

Ukrzaliznytsia notes that during periods of low demand, the company has about 250,000 unfilled seats per month on long-distance trains, and it is these seats that they plan to use within the program.

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How the project will be financed

Passenger transport remains unprofitable, but since 2025, the state has begun to partially cover the real cost of tickets. This will allow the project to be implemented without harming the company's budget and maintaining the stability of the railway industry. Ukrzaliznytsia also expects additional revenue from higher-class services — SV, 1st class, international routes — which will help offset the cost of free travel.

1,000 UAH from Zelensky: winter support

In parallel with the transport initiative, the government is launching an updated programme called ‘Winter Support-2025’. On the instructions of President Zelensky, all Ukrainian citizens will be able to receive a one-off payment of 1,000 UAH, and parents will also receive payments for their children.

As noted by Social Policy Minister Denys Ulyutin, the money can be used for basic needs — paying for utilities, medicine, food, and transport. Applications for the payment can be submitted in December 2025 through the usual digital services. The Ministry of Social Policy promises to publish the details of the programme by 15 November.

Reminder! Ukraine is preparing large-scale support programmes for war veterans: in 2025, they will be able to obtain compulsory motor third-party liability insurance policies free of charge, and from 2026, they will be able to receive compensation. Find out who will be eligible for the programmes and how they will work.

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