Anti-Maidan cost as much as the annual budget for kindergartens

Bohdan Logvynenko writes that the president and other members of the Party of the Regions like to affirm their concern for justice and love of children.  How genuine they are can, he says, be easily checked b a simple breakdown of figures.

Ukraine’s Budget in 2013 allocated 71 million UAH for pre-school education;

Poland – 874 million UAH.  According to his figures, this is with over 508 thousand children having been born in Ukraine in 2009 and 419 thousand in Poland.  The figure is thus 15 times higher.

The figures the author quotes as paid for the “antiMaidan” (pro-government) demonstrations on Dec 14 and 15 cannot be easily verified, since participants were supposedly there out of genuine support.  They do, however, correspond to the figures widely reported.

At the lowest estimates, 60 thousand public sector workers were brought to Kyiv for the antiMaidan demonstration.

This means:

- 30 million on payment (500 UAH per person for 2 days (some however only received half that amount, though the author believes that the unpaid money was pocketed by somebody along the way.

- 18 million UAH in transport from the regions there and back; specially chartered trains; coaches with drivers; places to spend the night; tents; hostels and food for the two days.  He estimates this at 300 UAH per person.

-  around 10 million for the regalia; stage; music and musicians.

Overall he comes to a figure of nearly 60 million UAH, though does point out that the people were treated like cattle, given bread and buckwheat; the singers not authentic; and the promised money not paid.  Add also the cost of the police and municipal services.  

This figure of around 60 million could provide for all kindergartens next year since they are also funded from the state coffers and cost this amount.