Zelenskyy announces increase in army payments, avg UAH 300,000 on first line
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced an increase in payments for the military, specifying that those in the rear will receive a minimum of UAH 30,000, while those on the first line will receive an average of UAH 300,000.
"There is a resource to increase payments in the army. A minimum of UAH 30,000 in the rear. The more actual combat missions there are, the higher the payment level. There will be new, noticeably stronger contracts for infantrymen. An average of UAH 300,000 on the first line. Everything rests on the Ukrainian infantry, on our Ukrainian infantryman," Zelenskyy said in an address on Friday.
The president explained that the contracts will be clearly structured for terms of 10, 14, and 24 months, and specific conditions regarding explicit deferments will also be developed.
In addition, Zelenskyy announced an increase in payments for Ukrainian combat commanders, stating that "this should create a positive incentive to preserve command experience in the army."
The Cabinet of Ministers will approve the specific mechanism, and the government is expected to start the first new additional payments as early as June.
The president also ordered the expansion of opportunities to attract foreign volunteers to the Ukrainian army, noting that more recruitment mechanisms will be introduced for this purpose.
The head of state also reported that work continues on further simplifying transfers for service members, opportunities for career growth within the army, and positive incentives to join the defense.
"I expect that each element of the changes currently being implemented will demonstrate its effectiveness over this summer. The Ministry of Defense will present the details of the decisions," he concluded.