The Office of the Military Ombudsman of Ukraine has prepared and published a unified guide that systematizes information on local material support programs for military personnel and their families. The initiative is aimed at addressing a problem that military personnel and their loved ones have faced for years: data on payments from territorial communities was scattered across local government websites, and in some settlements it was available only in the decisions of city and village councils, to which an ordinary servicemember had no convenient access. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing an official statement from the Office of the Military Ombudsman.
What Exactly the Guide Contains
The document compiles information on the support programs that are in effect in territorial communities across the country. As the office notes, many communities have been implementing their own initiatives to provide financial assistance to military personnel for several years, but before the guide was published, only a narrow circle of residents was aware of them. Now the document's structure allows a servicemember to find their region, district, and specific community and immediately see what support they can expect, as well as exactly where to apply for it.
Payment Amounts and Conditions for Receiving Them
The key feature of local programs is their heterogeneity. The size of payments and the conditions for receiving them are determined by the decision of the specific community council, so there is no single federal standard here. According to the Office of the Military Ombudsman, amounts vary from several thousand to tens of thousands of hryvnias in different settlements. Certain programs provide additional support for the families of the deceased, as well as for captured and missing servicemembers. The office emphasizes that payment amounts and conditions may change, so the information in the guide is planned to be updated regularly.
Special Section: Communities from Temporarily Occupied Territories
Particular attention in the guide is given to support programs that continue to operate on the territory of communities previously under temporary occupation that is now under Ukraine's control. This is important for displaced residents and servicemembers whose families are connected to such territories, as they may previously have been unaware of the payments available to them. Including these programs in a single document expands the coverage of people actually receiving support.
Appeal to Communities and the Context of Other Payments
The Office of the Military Ombudsman has also addressed local government bodies with an appeal to expand financial support programs for military personnel and their families, actively inform residents about available payments, and assist with their processing. The guide is thus positioned not as a one-off campaign but as a constantly updated navigation tool for social guarantees. It is important to note that local payments complement, rather than replace, state payments: it was previously reported that from June 2026 the system of additional combat awards in the Defense Forces has been updated, including separate payments for direct participation in combat and assault operations. In addition, servicemembers are guaranteed the preservation of their monetary compensation during treatment and rehabilitation, and to continue receiving payments after prolonged treatment, they must undergo a military medical commission.
