The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has launched a comprehensive transformation of the military service system: new contracts, clear deadlines, and increased financial support. As reported by the PromPolitInform portal, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov told the details.
As the Minister noted, for the first time since 2022, Ukraine is gradually seizing the initiative on the battlefield. In May, Ukraine regained more territory than Russia managed to capture. Thanks to the scaling up of Middle Strike drones, Ukraine has already achieved fire control over the land corridor to Crimea and other critically important supply routes for Russian troops in the south.
“This is the result of the joint work of the state, the Defense Forces, and Ukrainian society. We are systematically increasing our capabilities to protect the sky, deter the enemy on the ground, and make the continuation of the war economically unprofitable for Russia,” Mikhail Fedorov emphasized.
This is a historic moment for the state to force Russia to peace and end the war with a strong position. But weapons or technology alone are not enough for this. A new system of military service is needed. A system built on respect for humanity, justice, and clear rules.
“Therefore, on the instructions of the President of Ukraine, the Government, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, and the Ministry of Finance are jointly launching the largest transformation of military service in the history of the state. The Government today adopted a package of resolutions that launches the first stage of this transformation,” Fedorov emphasized.
What the first stage involves:
Launch of a new contract system with clear terms and conditions:
Infantry-assault contract — for 14 months for civilians, for 10 months for active military personnel, and from 6 months for military personnel who have previously been discharged from service;
Combat contract — for 24 months for UAV pilots, NRC operators, artillerymen, electronic warfare specialists, and other combat specialties;
Basic contract — for 24 months for other areas of service with the possibility of holding rear positions.
Each contract has a guaranteed deferment of 6 months:
The deferment is calculated in accordance with the terms of service and time spent on combat duty. For example, in an infantry-assault contract, a month on combat duty is “paid” with three months of deferment. For example, for an infantryman who served for 10 months, of which 4 months were on combat duty, the deferment will be one and a half years. Service before signing contracts and before full-scale invasion is also taken into account – time for rest is provided for all military experience.
A person signs a contract and understands: where he serves, how long he serves, what his pay is, and what will happen after service. Both active military personnel and civilians will be able to sign a new contract. Also, those who are already serving under a contract will be able to switch to new conditions.
The largest monetary allowance for infantry in the world – an average of about 300 thousand hryvnias – is about 7 thousand dollars per month. The maximum is 460 thousand hryvnias. Because infantry today is the most difficult and risky job in the world.
Introduction of Mission Control for the front line – to see the load on the military, their stay in positions in real time, and also to ensure the fairness of combat accruals.
Increasing the minimum monetary allowance for military personnel in the rear to 30 thousand hryvnias and for the first time raising the monetary allowance for commanders.
For commanders of combat units, their deputies and chiefs of staff, payments will double, plus combat payments. Now the corps commander will be able to receive about 230 thousand hryvnias per month.
Launch of automatic transfers within one corps through Army+ without unnecessary bureaucracy.
It is better to give a person the opportunity to change the unit and remain in the army than to lose it due to lack of choice. We will start the beta test in individual corps, and then we will scale the solution to all Defense Forces.
Launch of fast track return of military personnel from the SZCh directly to the top 50+ of the most effective combat units without BREZs.
“Our task is to return motivated military personnel to the system. You can return to service online through Army+ or offline,” the Minister of Defense emphasized.
It was also reported that up to 30-50% of infantry and assault positions are planned to be filled by foreigners.
