Kyiv authorities received new water tariff calculations from Kyivvodokanal. If approved, water supply will cost 50.69 UAH per cubic meter instead of the current 16.16 UAH, sewage disposal — 38.21 UAH instead of 14.22 UAH. Combined — nearly 89 UAH per cubic meter versus the current 30.38 UAH.
Three Years of Frozen Tariffs
Key context missing from most headlines: Kyivvodokanal's tariff has not been revised since 2022. Moreover, even those figures, according to the utility's own estimates, did not cover actual expenses — they merely fixed a politically acceptable level, not an economically justified one.
Over three years of full-scale war, the cost of water supply has changed dramatically. According to 1tv.com.ua citing Kyivvodokanal, electricity expenses — which account for 29% of the tariff structure — have tripled compared to 2022. The cost of chemical reagents for disinfection and filtration has also nearly tripled. Fuel and lubricants for emergency crews have more than doubled in price.
What's Inside the New Tariff
Kyivvodokanal's official cost structure looks as follows:
- Electricity — 29% of costs
- Wages and salaries — 33%
- Reagents — 7%
- Repairs of fixed assets — 7%
- Depreciation — 4%
- Energy sources (gas, heat, fuel and lubricants) — 2%
Separately — critical infrastructure wear and losses from missile attacks. As Vechirny Kyiv notes, infrastructure requires constant repairs, and these costs are directly incorporated into the new tariff.
Debt — A Systemic Problem, Not Just in Kyiv
"The total debt of 31 water utilities in Ukraine for electricity as of the end of 2025 amounted to 10.2 billion UAH, with 85% of the debt accumulated by just two enterprises."
NERC, according to MinFin.ua
Kyivvodokanal is not in the worst position in this statistic: utilities in front-line regions owe considerably more. But the logic is the same everywhere: frozen tariffs + rising costs = debts to electricity suppliers, which are then passed on to the entire energy system.
What Comes Next
The calculations have been submitted to Kyiv authorities — the final decision rests with Kyiv City Council. The increase is not automatic: deputies can approve a lower percentage of growth or spread it over stages. This is how it happened in spring 2025, when some utilities' tariffs in Kyiv were already reviewed — but water was not affected then.
If the city council approves the figures in full, an average Kyiv family spending 8–10 cubic meters per month will pay 500–600 UAH more per month for water — compared to their current bill.
The question is not whether tariffs will rise — economic logic makes it inevitable. The question is whether Kyivans will receive a detailed audit of Kyivvodokanal's expenses before the vote — or the council will once again approve an "economically justified level" without public scrutiny of these justifications.
