Industry associations demand cancellation of 30% increase in Ukrzaliznytsia freight tariffs

Appeal to railway management and the government

Five industry associations sent an official appeal to Prime Minister Serhiy Korytskyi and the head of Ukrzaliznytsia, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi. The initiators' main demand is to cancel the 30% increase in freight tariffs in August and restore the pricing policy to the indicators that were in effect as of 1 January 2026.

Metinvest structures among signatories

Among the organisations that signed the letter are Ukrmetallurgprom and the National Mining Industry Association. It is known that the founders of the former association include enterprises of Rinat Akhmetov's Metinvest group, and his business is also a participant in the mining association.

Proposals for compensating losses

Previously, Rinat Akhmetov actively opposed the tariff increase, blackmailing the authorities. In particular, he ensured the inclusion of Anatoliy Amelin in the supervisory board of Ukrzaliznytsia. Currently, industrialists loyal to the businessman are proposing a number of measures to compensate for the railway's revenue losses:

• introduce tariff preferences for enterprises located 150–200 km from the front line;
• finance passenger transport from the state budget under the public service obligation (PSO) model;
• attract international funds for the restoration of rolling stock.