Draft bill # 11012 of February 13, 2024 

Cosponsors: a group of 71 MPs from the factions Holos, Servant of the People, Batkivshchyna, and European Solidarity with Roman Kostenko as the first signatory 

Status: sent for review to the Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence 

Who is affected: the Armed Forces of Ukraine, other military units, service members, and persons discharged from military service 

Summary: 

  • service members will be allowed to be discharged from military service if they: 
    • served continuously for 36 months during martial law 
    • served continuously for 18 months during martial law and spent at least 12 of these 18 months on combat missions 
  • the right to a privileged bank loan with a rate of up to 5% for business development will be granted to: 
    • service members discharged after 36 months of service during martial law (of which at least 12 months on combat missions) 
    • service members discharged from service due to injury, captivity, or other serious reasons 
  • service members who served during martial law for 12 months (of which at least 6 months on combat missions) will receive salary, rank pay, and long service allowance with a x1.5 coefficient. For service members who served 24 months (of which at least 12 months on combat missions), the coefficient will be x2 
  • citizens who will sign a contract for at least three years or signed a contract for at least three years after February 24, 2022, will receive a one-time bonus: 
    • privates — 120,000 UAH 
    • sergeants and sergeant majors — 160,000 UAH 
    • officers — 200,000 UAH 
  • bonuses for the destruction or capture of enemy weapons and military equipment will be introduced: from 10,000 UAH for the destruction of a car to 500,000 UAH for the destruction of an aircraft 
  • an additional monthly reward of 10,000 UAH will be paid to service members who have the right to retire but continue to serve 
  • mandatory life and health insurance at the expense of the government budget will be introduced for: 
    • service members discharged after more than 36 months of service during martial law 
    • service members dismissed from service due to injuries, captivity, or other serious reasons, and for their family members 
    • family members of service members killed in action 
  • the following categories of citizens will have the right to a mortgage loan for up to 20 years with a preferential rate of 3% for the entire loan period: 
    • service members discharged after over 36 months of service during martial law 
    • service members discharged from service due to injuries, captivity, or other serious reasons 
    • service members who continued to serve longer than the specified period 
    • service members who were or are in service after February 24, 2022, will have the right to preferential customs clearance of cars 
  • persons with disabilities incurred during the Anti-Terrorist Operation/Joint Forces Operation or repulsion of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation will be entitled to the following retirement payments: 
    • group I disability — 100% of earnings 
    • group II disability — 80% of earnings 
    • group III disability — 60% of earnings 
  • minimum retirement payments for persons with disabilities incurred during the Anti-Terrorist Operation/Joint Forces Operation or repulsion of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation will be set: 
    • group I disability — 25,000 UAH 
    • group II disability — 20,000 UAH 
    • group III disability — 15,600 UAH 
  • the standard period for the basic military training course will be at least three months unless the Commander-in-Chief decides to shorten it 
  • the bill sets requirements for the basic military training program and the procedure to test the results of the training. Also, the bill introduced penalties for poorly conducted training. 

What is wrong:  

  • the state will not be able to fulfill additional social guarantees proposed in the draft bill due to limited financial resources. As a result, the intended incentives will have the opposite effect when the state fails to fulfill its obligations 
  • it is not advisable to set the size of additional payments, retirement payments, and other benefits in the law, as this issue depends not on the will of the legislator, but on the capacities of the national economy, the level of inflation, and other factors 
  • the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is the authorized and most qualified body to deal with the basic military training, its duration, and the content of its training program. Thus, these issues should be changed by the General Staff in light of changes in circumstances during combat operations, according to the acquired combat experience, development of military science and technology, changes in enemy strategy and tactics, and should not be established by law. 

Alternative solution: the draft bill should be withdrawn.