What does a serviceman's allowance consist of?

Today, Ukrainian soldiers are risking their lives and health to protect the country from an external aggressor. That is why they deserve proper remuneration more than anyone else. Among other things, adequate financial support boosts the morale of servicemen and motivates them to serve.

The mechanism and conditions for the payment of remuneration to servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and certain other persons are determined by the Procedure approved by Order of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine No. 260 dated 07.06.2018.

In particular, it stipulates that financial support has three components:

• monthly basic types of financial support;
• monthly additional types of financial support;
• one-time additional types of financial support.

The basic salaries include base salary, military rank salary, and longevity allowance.

Monthly additional allowances include salary increases, allowances, surcharges, remuneration for servicemen who hold positions related to the direct performance of cybersecurity and cyber defense tasks, remuneration for the peculiarities of service (training) during martial law (special period), and bonuses.

Other allowances and remuneration (except for remuneration to servicemen who hold positions related to the direct performance of cybersecurity and cyber defense tasks, remuneration for peculiarities of service (training) during martial law or a special period, as well as additional remuneration and one-time remuneration for the period of martial law) are called one-time remuneration.

These types of financial support are calculated and paid on the basis of: the staff of the military unit; orders on appointment to a position and enrollment in the lists of personnel of the military unit, on assumption of duties in the position, including temporarily, on placement at disposal; orders on the establishment and payment of basic and additional types of financial support; orders on the assignment of military ranks; a financial certificate or certificate of financial payments (except for persons called up (accepted) for military service under a contract).

Procedure No. 260 also defines the components of financial support depending on the category of serviceman.

Thus, the remuneration of servicemen from among officers, including students (adjuncts, doctoral students), privates, sergeants and non-commissioned officers (except for servicemen in regular service), includes:

• official salary;
• salary by military rank;
• longevity allowance;
• salary increase during military service in the territory of settlements granted the status of mountainous areas and on Zmeinyi Island;
• allowances for the peculiarities of service, service in the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces, qualifications, qualification category, performance of functions of a state expert on secrets, work under regime restrictions, continuous service in encryption work, honorary and sports titles;
• additional payments for academic degree and academic title;
• bonuses;
• maritime remuneration, remuneration for parachuting, search, recovery, demining and disposal of explosive devices, trawling and mine disposal, diving and combat duty;
• one-time financial assistance after the conclusion of the first contract, for health improvement, for solving social and domestic issues, in case of dismissal from military service;
• other payments.

The remuneration of servicemen in regular military service includes:

• official salary;
• salary increase during military service in the territory of settlements granted the status of mountainous and on Zmeinyi Island;
• allowances for qualifications, work under restrictions, and continuous service in encryption work;
• maritime remuneration, remuneration for parachuting, search, recovery, demining and disposal of explosives, trawling and mine disposal, diving and combat duty;
• assistance to servicemen in regular military service discharged from military service;
• other payments.

The remuneration of cadets (except for servicemen holding the rank of private, sergeant and non-commissioned officer on contractual service) includes:

• official salary;
• cadet allowance;
• salary increase based on the results of the regular examination session;
• assistance to servicemen in regular military service discharged from military service;
• other payments.

The financial support of lyceum students from among orphans and children deprived of parental care, if there are grounds under the current legislation of Ukraine, includes the official salary.

The material of the section «Protection of the military» was prepared by Victoria Polishchuk, a member of the Center for Coordination of Volunteer Assistance to Servicemen of the Ukrainian National Bar Association.