Free and discounted travel: rules approved for war veterans and Chernobyl victims

Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 440 of 13 August 2026 established the procedure for providing free or 50% discounted travel on air, rail and intercity bus transport.

The benefit covers invalids of the 1941–1945 war, war participants and persons of equivalent status, as well as citizens who suffered radiation sickness as a result of the Chernobyl disaster. On planes the benefit applies to economy-class tickets, on trains — to common, open-berth and compartment carriages.

Eligibility is confirmed through the information system of the National Agency for Social Protection: an ID card or biometric passport is enough to buy a ticket, no certificates need to be collected.

The benefits take effect on 1 October 2026, and from 1 January 2027 tickets can also be issued through the mobile application of the Baraka social card.

What this means in practice: if there is a war veteran or a Chernobyl victim in your family, from October their travel around the country becomes free or half-price — only an identity document is required.

Photo: Adam Jones, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)