In 2025, the Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration, Hanna Starostenko, consistently receives monthly payments that significantly exceed the average salary in the capital. She was paid less than 100 thousand hryvnias only twice - in January (63.9 thousand UAH) and June (68 thousand UAH). In other months, the amounts increased significantly: from 127.9 thousand in March to a record 305.2 thousand in May.
February 2025 was especially revealing, when Starostenko received 179.3 thousand UAH — more than some government ministers.
According to the official response of the Kyiv City State Administration, the official's salary structure includes monthly allowances "for labor intensity" (from 11.3 thousand to 22.6 thousand UAH) and bonuses (from 9.6 thousand to 24.2 thousand UAH). For comparison: in May 2024, she was paid 332.9 thousand UAH, and in June of the same year - 270.8 thousand UAH.
In general, the dynamics of Starostenko's salary growth is impressive: in 2022, she declared UAH 586.5 thousand of income, in 2023 - UAH 753.5 thousand, and in 2024 - UAH 1.7 million. That is, in just two years, her earnings have more than doubled.
However, the areas for which the official is responsible remain problematic.
In April 2024, the story of the Zhitny Market became very public. An attempt to lease it out through an auction caused public outrage, which called it “hidden privatization.” The Kyiv City State Administration had to stop the bidding, but the market continues to be unprofitable. At the same time, the head of the Department of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Volodymyr Kostikov, regularly receives bonuses to his salary. In 2025, his income ranged from UAH 57,000 to UAH 117,000 per month.
The situation in the field of cultural heritage protection is no less critical. The historic building of the Demidov store, which had been “listed for restoration” for 15 years, has disappeared in Podil. Earlier, a loud scandal was caused by the demolition of the Zelensky estate on Konyskoho Street. All this took place under the supervision of the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection of the Kyiv City State Administration, headed by Maryna Solovyova. Her salaries in 2025 were also high: from 56.8 thousand UAH to 131 thousand UAH per month.
Despite the high-profile failures in the areas of entrepreneurship and cultural heritage, the Kyiv City State Administration is not reviewing the size of bonuses for top officials. Their salaries are growing, while ordinary Kyiv residents are suffering from economic difficulties. The capital is even raising the issue of increasing transport tariffs, although Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko publicly promises not to allow this during the war.
Thus, high salaries in the Kyiv City State Administration contrast sharply with the realities of life for most residents of the capital, creating a picture of a gap between the authorities and society.
