The Ukrainian Social Policy Ministry cannot technically transfer funds to pay pensions to Ukrainians in Crimea due to the fact treasury accounts on the peninsula have been blocked, Social Policy Minister Liudmyla Denisova has said.

"Neither on March 17 nor on March 18 did we manage to pay pensions to Ukrainian citizens who live in Crimea, as we cannot technically do so. They consider themselves a different country, they are disconnected from the electronic payment system and the treasury is not working within the State Treasury of Ukraine," she told reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday.

She said that Ukraine transferred more than UAH 1 billion for pensions in Crimea every month, but only UAH 677 million had been financed as of March 16, with UAH 359 million was still to be transferred

Denisova noted that Ukrainian servicemen had received payments, as they were transferred earlier.

She said that all these issues would be discussed at a government meeting on Wednesday and a way to fund the payment of pensions and payments to servicemen in future would be found.