The Verkhovna Rada and the Ministry of Defense explained the delay in approving funding based on eBal scores
The Verkhovna Rada and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine responded to a statement by Igor Fedirko, executive director of the Ukrainian Council of Arms Manufacturers, regarding delays in payments to equipment manufacturers under the eBaly program. The relevant parliamentary committee stated that the necessary documents from the Ministry of Defense were received significantly late.
At the same time, the Ministry of Defense assured that funding for the program in 2026 has been allocated, and all due payments for the delivered equipment will be made.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Council of Arms Manufacturers stated that payments for military equipment delivered under the eBaly program had been delayed for months, and that the debt owed to certain manufacturers amounted to hundreds of millions of hryvnias.
One of the reasons cited was a new procedure for approving funds.
On June 24, 2026, amendments to Article 28 of the Law “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2026,” introduced by Law No. 4908-IX, entered into force. According to these amendments, the allocation of military personal income tax funds—which, in particular, finance the eBaly program—must be approved by the Ministry of Defense and the State Special Communications Service Administration in consultation with the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada.
The Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence emphasized that it does not approve every individual defense procurement or specific contract of the Ministry of Defense.
The selection of suppliers and payments under concluded contracts remain, as before, the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense.
This specifically refers to the approval of general guidelines for the use of funds, not individual payments.
According to the committee, after the new regulations took effect, its representatives repeatedly drew the attention of the Ministry of Defense leadership to the need to submit the relevant materials.
However, a letter marked “DSK” and signed by First Deputy Minister of Defense Oleksiy Vyskub was not received by the committee until September 10—more than two and a half months after the new regulation took effect.
The committee noted that it is up to the Ministry of Defense to explain the reasons for this delay.
At the same time, the deputies stated that they would consider the issue of approving the allocation of personal income tax funds as a priority at their next meeting.
Separately, the Verkhovna Rada emphasized that funding for “eBals” is not limited to military personal income tax funds. A portion of the expenditures is covered by other budget programs and items of the Ministry of Defense, to which the approval procedure does not apply.
The Ministry of Defense stated that the eBaly program remains an effective mechanism for providing combat units with the necessary equipment.
The ministry assured that funding for the program through the end of 2026 has been allocated, so all due payments to manufacturers for the delivered equipment will be made.
At the same time, the ministry attributed certain technical delays to the fact that the program is planned to be refinanced using European Union loan funds, which requires additional procedures.
The Ministry of Defense cited planned changes to the “point system” itself as another factor.
The Ministry also emphasized that it continues to work constructively with the relevant parliamentary committee on the program’s implementation.
According to the Ministry of Defense, following the integration of eBals with Brave1 Market, the military has ordered more than 750,000 units of equipment totaling over 51.9 billion hryvnia.
The value of equipment already delivered amounts to nearly 40 billion hryvnias.
More than 400 units have taken advantage of the program, and the average delivery time from the warehouse is 7–10 days.
The Ministry of Defense emphasized that stable funding and timely payment for deliveries are among its top priorities, as they directly impact the supply of combat units and the resilience of Ukraine’s defense-industrial complex.
Thus, the delay in approving personal income tax (PIT) funds has become one of the bureaucratic factors affecting payments; however, the Ministry of Defense assures that funding for the program in 2026 has been secured and that the debt owed to manufacturers will be repaid.
This was reported in official statements by the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Ukrainian arms manufacturers have supplied military equipment to the armed forces under the eBal system but have been waiting months for payment. The outstanding debt to individual companies ranges from 24 million to hundreds of millions of hryvnias, according to Ihor Fedirko, executive director of the Ukrainian Arms Manufacturers Council.
Earlier, former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced the inclusion of new categories in the “Army of Drones” bonus system—a bonus that allows combat successes by military units to be converted into new weapons. From now on, points will be awarded for verified hits from sniper systems, as well as for effective operations by small-scale air defense units, including mobile fire groups and army aviation.
As of 2026, more than 181,000 pieces of equipment—including drones, ground-based robotic systems, and electronic warfare systems—have already been ordered and delivered to Ukrainian units under the “eBaly” program.
