40,000 per day: how the payment system for Ukrainian military personnel will change
29 May 14:16
ANALYSIS
Ukrainian authorities are preparing a major overhaul of the system for providing financial support to military personnel, particularly for those directly involved in assault and combat operations. The new measures are intended not only to boost military morale but also to adapt the army to modern technological warfare.
Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the Verkhovna Rada’s Defense Committee, commented
“Therefore, payments to enlisted personnel in assault units could reach around 400,000 hryvnias per month, as the president stated,” Venislavsky noted.
People’s Deputy Ruslan Gorbenko
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A key innovation is combat daily allowances. For defending positions, 10,000 hryvnias per day are provided; for counter-assault operations—20,000; and for participating in assaults—40,000 hryvnias.
However, the General Staff emphasizes that assault operations cannot be a daily practice. Ruslan Gorbenko explained that high-quality preparation for assaults requires training, planning, and personnel recovery.
“It’s impossible to conduct high-quality assaults every day,” he emphasized.
That is precisely why a restriction is being introduced: a servicemember will be able to participate in a maximum of ten assault operations per month. According to the deputy, this is necessary first and foremost to preserve the lives and combat effectiveness of the fighters.
“Otherwise, the guys burn out,” Gorbenko noted, describing the psychological strain on assault troops.
And it is very important that the pay for commanders is being increased.
The new system also provides for special contract terms for assault units. Contracts will be signed for 10 months: two months of training and eight months of service. After that, the soldier will receive a six-month deferment, as well as an additional day of deferment for each combat deployment.
Authorities hope that the high pay will help attract not only Ukrainians but also foreign volunteers to serve. According to Gorbenko, assault unit members’ salaries could reach $7,000–$10,000 per month.
Additionally, there are plans to collaborate with international recruitment agencies. For each recruit signed up, such agencies could potentially receive up to 300,000 hryvnias in compensation.
At the same time, the deputy emphasized that the war has changed significantly in terms of technology. While in 2022–2023 the main burden was borne by large infantry groups, unmanned systems are now playing an increasingly important role.
“There are far fewer soldiers on the front lines than in 2022 and 2023. The war has simply changed technologically,” Gorbenko explained.
According to him, Ukraine already has about 165,000 unmanned systems, and Russia is trying to catch up to that figure. That is why one of the main tasks is retraining military personnel to operate drones and remote-controlled weapon systems.
“Now our task is to retrain nearly every other soldier so they can operate from a distance, in relatively safe shelters, and simply destroy the enemy 24/7,” the deputy concluded.
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A large-scale reform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s pay system will begin as early as June 2026.
