Draft bill #9342 of May 29, 2023 

Status: adopted as a law. Awaits to be signed by the Speaker of Parliament and the President 

Who is affected: service members, their family members, commanders, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Finance, and military command 

Summary of the bill: 

  • while martial law is in effect, service members directly involved in repelling the aggression will receive an additional monthly bonus ranging from ₴30,000 to ₴100,000 (procedure and amounts will be set and defined by the Cabinet) 
  • wounded service members under stationary treatment in healthcare facilities or on sick leave, as well as prisoners of war, soldiers missing in action, hostages, and internees in neutral countries, will receive an additional bonus of ₴100,000 monthly 
  • families of service members who died as a result of the injury will be eligible to receive an additional ₴100,000 
  • service members, who due to injury are recognized by a military medical commission as fit for limited duty only, for two months will receive full bonuses as per the last occupied position, and after that — a salary according to their rank, year-of-service allowance, and an additional bonus of ₴20,100 
  • military conscripts will receive ₴6,000 monthly, cadets — ₴2,350, heads and instructors of military education units — from ₴15,000 to ₴30,000 
  • while martial law is in effect, service members will have 30 days of annual leave, as well as 10 days of extra leave for other legitimate reasons. Such leave is granted in parts not more than 15 days conditional that no more than 30% of the unit personnel is absent 
  • conscripts will have 30 days of annual leave, cadets — 10 days during winter and 20 days during summer 
  • commanders will be prohibited from involving in combat actions service members who have not completed the course of basic military training and do not have military experience. Such service members will have to finish a course of general military training of no less than one month 
  • during the special period, service members will be allowed to submit documents in person while requesting leave for treatment or dismissal from military service 
  • conscripted service members, whose term of service has expired while martial law is in effect and who have served no less than 6 months, could volunteer to be transferred to military service by conscription. 

What is right: 

  • wounded service members, conscripted soldiers, and cadets who currently receive no more than ₴2,000 will get better remuneration 
  • cadets, service members, and conscripts will have a better social security 
  • procedures for submission of documents while requesting leave or release from service are simplified 
  • mobilized service members lacking the necessary experience will receive proper training before participating in combat operations. 

What is wrong: it is unclear what will happen to other draft bills addressing similar issues. In particular, the amendments by Dmytro Razumkov reinstating bonuses for the military and the bill increasing leave for the military. The former are blocked in the Parliament for over two months while the latter was referred to the President on June 15 to be signed. 

Alternative solution: to make final decisions on the two draft bills: they should be either adopted or vetoed.