Starting September 1, all schoolchildren in Ukraine will receive free hot lunches

Starting September 1, 2026, free hot lunches will be provided to students in grades 1–11 at schools throughout Ukraine. 

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced this following a coordination meeting with the heads of regional military administrations.

Currently, free hot meals are already fully provided to all children in frontline communities, as well as to elementary school students (grades 1–4) in all regions. This new phase of the large-scale reform will expand the initiative to include high school students, covering a total of approximately 3 million Ukrainian students.

To ensure the successful launch of the updated program, the Cabinet of Ministers has already allocated 1 billion hryvnias in subsidies, which will be directed toward the major modernization and re-equipping of 73 school cafeterias in various regions. The head of government emphasized that high-quality school meals are not only an important element of social support for families but also a significant stimulus for local economic development through the creation of new jobs and the procurement of products from Ukrainian producers.

In addition to reforming the school meal system, during a working meeting with regional administration heads, government officials discussed in detail comprehensive issues related to strengthening defense, stabilizing the energy system, and the progress of infrastructure preparations for the upcoming heating season.

Earlier, the Cabinet of Ministers allocated 1.6 billion hryvnias for the purchase of 460 school buses. Thanks to this grant, communities will be able to purchase new vehicles or replace those destroyed as a result of the war.

In the Kharkiv region, six underground schools are under construction, with another 16 such projects in the planning stages.