Ukraine has ‘zombie’ economy – ex-PM

Kiev lacks funds to pay its military due to the “catastrophic” state of its finances, Nikolay Azarov has claimed

The Ukrainian economy has turned into a “zombie” that only shows signs of life with Western financing, former Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov claimed on Monday.

Writing on Telegram, the former politician argued that the national economy is “falling apart,” and that Ukraine is faced with minimal GDP growth and a looming devaluation of the hryvna “under pressure from the International Monetary Fund.”

Meanwhile, public debt is surging and the budget deficit is widening despite Western aid, according to Azarov.

“The best illustration of the catastrophic state of affairs is that the budget of the country at war lacks more than $6 billion to pay the Ukrainian military alone,” he said.

Azarov claimed that the families of Polish mercenaries killed during the conflict had not received any compensation despite promises from Kiev.

READ MORE: Ukraine ‘threatening’ Poland – minister

“As a result, the Ukrainian economy increasingly resembles a ‘zombie’ – it shows signs of life only with foreign financial assistance, which it requires more and more,” the former prime minister argued.

According to Azarov, Ukraine’s “closest analogues” in terms of economic woes are Afghanistan and Haiti, which are faced with similar problems. He added that the “most daring” forecasts show that Ukraine will need more than 30 years to catch up with the current economic level of Romania or Poland.

Find more stories on economy and finance in TROIB business