Not all volunteers under 25 who previously joined the Armed Forces will be able to receive ₴1 million: reasons
13 March 2025 18:05
The Cabinet of Ministers’ resolution on the implementation of a pilot project to increase the motivation of young men aged 18 to 25 to sign a contract with the Armed Forces during martial law did not initially refer to young people already serving in the army. The Ministry of Defense and the Cabinet of Ministers had to urgently correct the injustice, namely, to guarantee them payments. But with certain nuances. Komersant studied who can count on the reward and who cannot.
After the Ministry of Defense developed the conditions for recruiting young people aged 18 to 25 who are not of mobilization age, questions arose about what to do with those boys and girls who have voluntarily joined the Armed Forces since 2022. How are they worse than those who are being drafted now and are offered various benefits and payments by the government?
Defense Ministry spokesman Dmytro Lazutkin was the first to reassure the young soldiers, saying that volunteers and mobilized people who joined the Armed Forces under the age of 25 under the new contract terms would be eligible for the UAH 1 million payment.
“The UAH 1 million payment is provided for those who joined the Armed Forces before their 25th birthday starting in 2022. They need to contact their commanders to find out the algorithm for receiving the reward,” Lazutkin said.
The conditions for receiving the reward can be found in the Cabinet of Ministers’ resolution of February 11, 2025. And not everyone will like them. To be more precise, not everyone will be able to get a million under them.
Not everyone will get a million
The resolution states that privates, sergeants and sergeants major of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, other military formations, as well as special-purpose law enforcement agencies, who, before the entry into force of this resolution, were enlisted or called up for military service during martial law, served in the military and took direct part in hostilities for at least 6 months as of the date of entry into force of this resolution, receive a one-time cash reward for the duration of service in combat conditions in the amount of UAH 1 million.
And if the serviceman was in the combat zone for less than six months as of the date of entry into force of this resolution, the remuneration is paid in proportion to the time of military service, at the rate of 1/6 of UAH 1 million for every 30 days of direct participation in combat operations in the areas of military (combat) operations (total).
However, those who have been held criminally or administratively liable for committing a military administrative offense twice or more times or on the basis of a written order to bring to disciplinary responsibility for violation of military discipline that has not expired will not be eligible for the remuneration. This means that only the most disciplined soldier will be eligible for the reward. Regardless of how long he has been at “zero” – six months, a year or more.
“However, those who, before the age of 25, took direct part in hostilities for less than 6 months due to illness, wounds (injuries, contusions) received while defending the homeland, or their stay and release from captivity (except for those who were voluntarily surrendered), receive a full reward,” the Cabinet of Ministers decree says.
Exemplary behavior is a guarantee of enrichment
Lawyers drew attention to artificial obstacles to avoid paying.
“Again, over several years of service, a soldier may receive more than one penalty, there are no saints, especially given what they have to go through. But in fact, all payments will depend on the commander, as he decides and does. And if the relationship with the commander is good, everything will be according to the law, if not, you know. And these restrictions on payments will also apply to those who are currently signing a contract. Now they also need to become exemplary soldiers, not to violate discipline, not to get into stories, otherwise they will not see their million,” lawyer Valentin Serkov told Kommersant Ukrainian.
And, as the lawyer noted, in addition to one million hryvnias, 18-25-year-old volunteers and mobilized soldiers are no longer offered any additional benefits, as those who are invited to sign a contract this year. These include free education, interest-free mortgages, free medical treatment, free travel abroad, etc. At best, they will only have a UBD with its benefits and no additional “perks”. However, new recruits may not even have time to use them, as there is one interesting line in the contract that few people have paid attention to. But it should have been.
“The terms of the contract state that the signatory is “guaranteed exemption from mobilization for 12 months after the end of the contract”. And since the demobilized person will be listed as a person liable for military service and has served in the army, he will not be subject to the conditions of not being drafted until he is 25 years old. If the war does not end in the near future, signing a contract in 2025 will guarantee that in 2027 you will be able to join the Armed Forces as a mobilized person. Although the demobilization itself is a big question mark, because today, if a contractor’s term expires, it is automatically extended due to martial law,” says lawyer Valentyn Serkov.
However, since the government itself calls this project a pilot project and it has just been launched, it is worth talking about it a little later.
Author: Alla Dunina
