The housing waiting list of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry currently consists of 44,000 people, Acting Defense Minister Pavlo Lebedev has said.

"Providing people with housing is the most important question that has accumulated for over 20 years of Ukraine's independence. The list currently consists of 44,000 people," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Monday.

He said that 819 apartments were purchased for servicemen in 2012, and 536 apartments in 2013. He said that it was planned to allocate 1,900 apartments in 2014.

Lebedev said that this year major efforts would focus on the construction of housing for investment funds on 27 land plots.

In addition, the work on turning barracks into housing for soldiers on contracts and young officers began last year.