At the beginning of 2024, the minimum wage in Ukraine is 7,100 UAH, and from April it will increase to 8,000 UAH. But the salary of the Armed Forces does not depend on these indicators and is regulated by separate legislation and acts of the Cabinet of Ministers. Also, the Cabinet of Ministers approved some changes that determine exactly how the new salaries of the Armed Forces will be calculated. Find out from the material what the salary in the Armed Forces is in 2024 and how to calculate it.
The peculiarity of the military is that they do not receive a salary, but financial support. The duties of military personnel are not considered as labor relations with the employer and are considered service. Accordingly, they are not subject to the Labor Code and the conclusion of labor contracts. Instead, the law "On social and legal protection of military personnel and members of their families" applies to the military. The salary of the Armed Forces in 2024 also depends on the position, military rank, place of service, specialty.
Payments received by military personnel during martial law have two components:
Monthly provision.
An additional reward is precisely those large allowances that are introduced during martial law.
In turn, the first point also consists of two:
The main part is salary, accrual for rank and military service.
Additional - includes remuneration for special conditions of service.
"Regarding additional payments in the amount of 30,000 and 100,000 hryvnias, the government plans to maintain these payments during the period of martial law, as stipulated by Cabinet Resolution No. 168," said the Deputy Minister of Defense. Therefore, it is advisable to consider in more detail the innovations that took place last year - the situation with the provision of the military will not undergo fundamental changes
How the salary of the Armed Forces of Ukraine changed last year
Last year, the procedure for calculating the salary of the Armed Forces of Ukraine changed. Until February 2023, all military personnel had a 30,000 UAH bonus to their salaries, and direct participants in hostilities received 100,000 UAH. The Cabinet of Ministers changed the way the salaries of the Armed Forces were calculated - now the calculation algorithm is more complicated. The full text of the government resolution can be found on the official website.
What salary will be received in the Armed Forces in 2024 will depend on the rate and the monthly bonus, which actually makes up the main part of the earnings. Ukrainian soldiers will receive a financial reward depending on the place of service, years of service, presence near the front line and the tasks they perform.
Salary of the Armed Forces - the latest news about allowances
The allowance of 30,000 was canceled due to compliance with the principles of justice, as stated in the government's explanation. Instead, the salary of the Armed Forces was increased from UAH 10,000 (the salary of an officer of the Armed Forces was UAH 13+ thousand) to UAH 20,000 (the salary of a soldier of the Armed Forces). Pursuant to the order of the Ministry of Defense No. 44, UAH 30,000 will be received by:
Military personnel of the reserve of the Commander-in-Chief, the General Staff and some other personnel involved in the management of troops.
Soldiers of air defense and ground defense of critical military and infrastructure facilities.
Seconded to the military administration in the war zone.
The salary of the mobilized will include the allowance.
In addition to direct participants in combat clashes, UAH 100,000 will be given to the wounded who are being treated or recovering from injuries (for the full time of treatment, as well as vacation time after a serious injury), as well as those who are in captivity or missing. 100,000 hryvnias will be received during combat missions:
Sailors
Military medics.
Rocket and gunners.
Military pilots during combat sorties.
Military personnel of air defense and air defense systems in the combat zone.
It can be seen that in some types of troops, which are not in contact with the enemy directly on the front line, but perform important tasks, the large allowance remained unchanged.
Also, in 2024, payments from 70 to 400 of the subsistence minimum due to disability acquired by military personnel during combat are provided, depending on the circumstances of its acquisition. In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers has established financial support for cadets of military educational institutions in the amount of UAH 2,350 and for conscripts in the amount of UAH 6,000.
Last year, a third allowance for military personnel appeared - UAH 50,000. This amount will be received by military personnel for the performance of combat tasks as part of the military management bodies of units of the first echelon of defense or offensive, the specific list is approved by the Commander-in-Chief or the General Staff.
You can find out the salary of an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a soldier from the following tables. The comparison shows how the salary of a lieutenant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other ranks has changed compared to 2022:
For example, the salary of a sergeant in the armed forces can vary significantly depending on the specialty and tasks performed. You can also see that there hasn't been any perceptible decrease, which is sometimes said - instead, the distribution of rewards can really be called fair.
The changes were perceived in the army ambiguously - some lost their allowances, primarily UAH 30,000. But such a step is related to the specifics of financing the military. Ukraine cannot spend international financial aid for military purposes (at least the main part of it, which is not directly intended for defense). Therefore, it is necessary to pay for military service from internal sources - the budget, taxes, military bonds. The purpose of the recalculation of monetary support is to maintain the incentive of soldiers and officers in responsible areas and at the same time to distribute the reward fairly.
In addition to the military, the financial support of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs outside the combat zone, conscript soldiers, cadets and some other personnel has been changed.
However, the situation with the funding of the Ministry of Defense is not so bad in 2024. Compared to the pre-war period, this year it increased 10 times. Planned expenditures will amount to 1 trillion 164 billion compared to last year's 860 billion and 555 billion in 2022. In particular, 883 billion will go to material support of the Armed Forces, training of military personnel. Specifically, UAH 751.3 billion will go to the payment of monetary support for the military.
Housing for the military
Part of the material support of the military is providing them with housing. UAH 100 million has been allocated for this in the 2024 budget. Unfortunately, this problem is being solved very slowly - there are currently 42,200 military personnel waiting in line for housing, and it is decreasing by only about 1,000 people per year. In addition, during the full-scale Russian invasion, much less construction began in Ukraine. And the finances of the ministry are directed primarily to defense needs.
Compensation to the families of the victims
Unfortunately, Russia's bloody invasion of Ukraine takes many lives of our soldiers and leaves their families breadwinners. In 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers introduced compensations to the families of the victims, which are still in effect. The family of a fallen serviceman has the right to one-time assistance in the amount of UAH 15 million.
The list of family members includes children of any social status, as well as all relatives who lived together with the soldier - both their own and from the woman's/husband's side. The family circle also includes close relatives who live separately under special circumstances. In addition, compensation for burial expenses is provided, which is calculated from the subsistence minimum and currently amounts to almost 13 thousand hryvnias.
