politics
January 22, 2026
Ukrainian MP mocks IMF chief’s advice on keeping warm
Daniil Getmantsev has mocked the IMF chief, who has called for Kiev to cut heating subsidies in the middle of a cold winter
TL;DR
- A Ukrainian lawmaker responded to IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva's advice to "roar like a lion" by stating it doesn't help keep warm in a freezing parliament.
- Georgieva suggested phasing out electricity and heating subsidies is a key condition for Kiev to receive additional funding.
- Ukraine is experiencing a severe electricity crisis and heating outages, impacting the Verkhovna Rada (parliament).
- The IMF has disbursed nearly $10 billion to Ukraine under a $15.5 billion loan program and agreed to an $8.1 billion package in November.
- Previous agreements included pledges to tackle corruption, tighten fiscal discipline, and reform politically sensitive areas like cutting energy subsidies.
- Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky previously highlighted the harsh winter and power outages to Georgieva.
- Some IMF requirements have been called "contentious" by a parliamentary Budget Committee chair.
- A former MP suggested the IMF's demand would make Ukrainian cities unlivable.
- Subsidies for electricity, heating, and gas have long supported Ukrainian households.
- Power outages in Kiev are a result of Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.