Draft bill #9342 of May 29, 2023
Status: adopted in the first reading, preparation time for the second reading was halved — cut to 7 calendar days
Who is affected: service members, their families, commanders, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Finance, and the military command
Summary of the bill:
- while martial law is in effect, service members will receive an additional monthly reward ranging from ₴30,000 to ₴100,000, depending on how much time they spent carrying out combat tasks. The procedure, amounts, and conditions for such payments are to be set by the Cabinet
- additional rewards will be set for:
- conscripts and wounded service members injured in action and placed under the command while temporarily unfit for duty — ₴6,000
- cadets of higher military educational establishments — ₴2,350
- the total duration of military leave will be increased to 40 days: 30 days of basic annual leave and 10 days of leave for family reasons or other legitimate exceptional circumstances
- it will be mandatory for mobilized soldiers without previous military experience to complete basic military training and training in their military specialty for a period of no less than one month. Also, it will be the duty of the commanders to send the mobilized soldiers to such training and not allow them to participate in combat operations without proper training.
Why this is important:
- the draft bill is a joint effort by MPs and military command
- the draft bill is a response to a recently adopted initiative to reinstate bonuses for the military, which was criticized by the Committee on Finance, Taxation, and Customs Policy and the International Monetary Fund.
What is right:
- conscripts, wounded service members, and cadets will get better pay. Currently, they receive less than ₴2,000, which is not enough not only for proper subsistence but even for survival, considering that the minimum wage is currently ₴6,700
- the requirement for the proper training for mobilized individuals who lack military experience is important since, unfortunately, there were cases when mobilized soldiers were engaged in combat operations without the proper training. Lack of training significantly increases the risk of injury and death.
What is wrong: the draft bill does not actually reinstate bonuses for the military but just cements the already existing system. Currently, the Cabinet defines the procedure and sets amounts and conditions for bonuses for the military. It has already changed them eight times.