4 billion hryvnias will be spent on cultural projects: how many weapons could be purchased instead of 1,000 hours of content
27 March 13:23
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a program to produce 1,000 hours of Ukrainian cultural content, for which nearly 4 billion hryvnias have been allocated in the state budget. The initiative was proposed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and is being implemented through the Ministry of Culture.
At the same time, some experts are already questioning the wisdom of such spending during wartime, comparing it to funding for defense needs, reports
What the 1,000 Hours of Ukrainian Content Program Entails
According to the Ministry of Culture, the government has approved a resolution to hold art competitions to select cultural projects within the framework of the presidential initiative.
The initiative involves the creation of Ukrainian cultural products in various fields:
- feature films and TV series;
- documentary projects;
- animation;
- children’s content;
- contemporary music;
- performing arts;
- visual arts;
- audiovisual shows;
- videos for social media.
Participants will be selected through open competitions, and applications can be submitted from April 3 through June 2026.
What is the goal of this initiative?
According to Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna, the program aims to strengthen Ukraine’s information space.
“Our task is to fill the information space with Ukrainian stories, strengthen culture and societal resilience, and create an alternative to Russian content,” she noted.
According to her, the program also has an economic goal.
“The program will stimulate the development of cultural and creative industries as an important sector of the economy through investment, job creation, and market development,” Berezhna emphasized.
Why the government decided to fund content
The Ministry of Culture notes that even during the war, some Ukrainians, especially young people, continue to consume Russian content due to a lack of quality alternatives.
Research by Gradus Research shows that people choose content based on:
- quality;
- accessibility;
- emotional connection.
That is why the government decided to invest in creating a competitive Ukrainian product.
Criticism of the program: what military experts are saying
Military expert Oleg Zhdanov in an exclusive comment
According to him, similar informational projects are already funded by the state, but their effectiveness is questionable.
“It’s just like the United Marathon here, you know. Billions of hryvnias are allocated, yet popularity, as polls show, is almost zero. And they keep pouring money into it anyway,” the expert noted.
He also drew attention to the priorities of government spending.
“And then they say we have a critical situation with payments to military personnel or other government expenditures that ensure the functioning of the state,” Zhdanov emphasized.
In his view, the government sometimes demonstrates a contradictory approach to program development.
“Our government seems to be constantly floating in the clouds. And the programs are very strange,” he stated.
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Is state support for Ukrainian content necessary?
At the same time, the expert acknowledges that the development of Ukrainian cultural products should be part of state policy.
“Ukrainian content must be part of state policy. It should develop within the framework of the country’s cultural development,” Zhdanov noted.
However, he doubts the effectiveness of individual programs.
“But these specific programs—I don’t think they can yield any positive results,” the expert believes.
How much military equipment can be purchased for 4 billion hryvnias
Zhdanov also gave an example of how these funds could be spent from a military perspective.
“A drone interceptor for the Shahed costs about 100,000 dollars. In Ukrainian currency, that’s over 4 million hryvnias,” he explained.
According to him, a significant amount of equipment could be purchased with this money.
“Do the math: we could buy 1,000 interceptor drones,” the expert stated.
He added that the amount is equivalent to approximately $100 million.
“I’ll tell you this: we used to buy missiles for the Patriot systems with $100 million,” Zhdanov noted.
In his opinion, this is a significant amount of resources for defense.
“In any case, this is a fairly substantial sum that will allow us to purchase something for our Armed Forces and for the country’s defense capabilities,” he concluded.
The program to create Ukrainian content is part of the state’s information policy, but the debate over spending priorities during wartime is likely to continue.
Experts note that such decisions always involve striking a balance between humanitarian policy and defense needs.
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