Where is the funding for the Armed Forces of Ukraine? Will salaries for Ukrainian military personnel be increased?

In Russian regions, payments for signing contracts with the Ministry of Defense have been increased to encourage more individuals to fight in Ukraine. According to the Russian publication "Important Stories," contract soldiers earn an average of 1.3 million rubles — approximately 508 thousand hryvnias.

In contrast, Ukraine lacks the resources that Russia possesses, making it challenging to support its military. Furthermore, the WSJ, citing a Ukrainian official, stated that by 2025, Kyiv will require about 126 billion dollars in military aid to "cover military expenses associated with Russia's rapid financing."

UAF Salaries: Will Military Payments Increase?

"Financial motivation matters. Ukraine has no choice but to allocate all available resources to support the security and defense sector, including military salaries. This is the state's direct responsibility," said Ivan Krulko.

He indicated that according to Ukraine's budget for 2025, all funds from taxes, customs, and other payments will be directed solely to the security and defense sector. Meanwhile, the country relies on grants, loans, and credits from international states and organizations.

When asked whether military payments might be revised soon, Ivan Krulko mentioned that this is the responsibility of the government.

"We constantly raise such questions with the government, but if we look at the budget that was approved in parliament last week, it includes military payments at the current level," he explained.

At the same time, the deputy believes it would be prudent to allocate funds for military salaries from other projects, similar to what was done with "Zelensky's thousand." Specifically, to "demonstrate to those defending Ukraine on the front lines that the state cares for them."

Economist Oleg Hetman reminded that currently, additional payments for soldiers range from 30 to 100 thousand hryvnias. He noted that by Ukrainian standards, these are very high salaries, but it's difficult for him to assess, as the tasks performed by military personnel are "very complex and life-threatening."

The economist explained that Ukraine receives about two trillion hryvnias from international sources in the form of macro-financing, non-repayable aid, and cheap loans. This funding supports the rest of the state — education, healthcare, partial pensions, subsidies, funds for IDPs, low-income individuals, and similar needs.

"We have a million-strong army, a million people who receive two trillion hryvnias a year. We cannot recruit a larger army because we lack the funds to pay. And we can't increase payments to current servicemen because we have set maximum salaries. Therefore, the country has done everything possible," Oleg Hetman concluded.

Why It's Not Worth Comparing UAF and RF Armed Forces Salaries?

Krulko pointed out that Ukraine will never be able to match Russia's financial capabilities, as the latter has natural resources — oil and gas.

"Despite sanctions, Russia manages to sell its energy resources through various shadow fleets, thereby filling its budget, which is then directed towards military purposes. Ukraine must lead, or even win, in this war; undoubtedly, it is essential to invest everything into increasing financial motivation for servicemen," the MP noted.

Hetman mentioned that Russia's economy is roughly ten times larger than Ukraine's.

"A large, strong enemy has attacked a smaller country in terms of size, population, economy, and capabilities. Therefore, our resources are certainly not equal. They differ by about ten times in military potential, economic capabilities, and so on," he stated.

According to him, in the global economy, countries that are exporters of oil and gas are evaluated in separate categories. Thus, they cannot be compared to countries that do not produce and export these resources.

Recall that in September, the head of the public relations service of the UAF Ground Forces, Vladimir Fityo, reported that the amount of payments for mobilized Ukrainians undergoing BZVP is lower than that of military personnel carrying out combat tasks.

On November 19, President Zelensky approved changes to Article 9 of the law of Ukraine "On the social and legal protection of servicemen and their families." As a result, servicemen can independently decide who will receive their financial support in case they are captured or go missing.