As of June 2026, new rules for calculating the pay of military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have come into force. The Ministry of Defense of the country has explained in detail the structure of payments, which now includes not only basic salaries but also significant bonuses for completing combat missions, as well as new incentive payments depending on the distance from the front line. These changes are designed to increase the motivation of the personnel and ensure a fairer assessment of each soldier's contribution to the overall defense of the state.
Structure of pay and basic payments
The pay of military personnel consists of basic and additional payments, the amount of which depends on the position, military rank, length of service, and service conditions. Payments are made by the 20th of the current month for the previous one. The increase for length of service varies from 25% to 50% of the sum of the position salary and the rank salary: for service from 1 to 5 years, 25% is provided, from 5 to 10 years — 30%. The amount of the bonus depends on personal contribution and discipline compliance; in the absence of disciplinary sanctions, it is set at the maximum level.
New bonuses for combat missions and service geography
As of June 2026, additional payments depending on the distance to the line of contact have been introduced. If a serviceman performed tasks in different areas, payments are accrued proportionally to the number of days. Daily allowances and bonuses for results are provided for active combat operations: 100,000 UAH for an enemy captured alive and 15,000 UAH for an enemy eliminated in close combat (confirmed by video recording). A separate additional reward of 10,000 UAH is provided for those who do not participate in hostilities but do not receive other combat payments (30,000, 50,000, or 100,000 UAH).
Lump-sum assistance and social guarantees
Military personnel are entitled to lump-sum financial assistance after signing the first contract, the amount of which in 2026 is set at a level ensuring a minimum payment for performing service duties of 30,000 UAH per month. Also, once a year, financial assistance for health improvement is provided in the amount of one month's pay, and if grounds exist — material assistance for solving social and household issues. Treatment after an injury related to the defense of the Motherland is accompanied by a reward of 100,000 UAH.
Contradictory data
There are some ambiguities in the sources regarding the exact amount of lump-sum assistance after signing the first contract: the text mentions that it "in 2026 amounts to", but the specific figure is not specified. In addition, one of the sources (zn.ua) speaks of "new bonuses", but without detailing their structure, which may create confusion during interpretation. However, the main volume of information is consistent with the official data of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, published in RBC-Ukraine.
