Ukrainian military has more than 300,000 contracted servicemen
"Today, 156,500 soldiers, 109,000 non-commissioned officers and 47,500 commissioned officers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine are doing military service under contract," stated the spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Hutsulyak at a briefing on Tuesday, October 4.
He stressed that the Ministry of Defense continues to increase the number of contracted soldiers and, accordingly, reduce the number of mobilized servicemen. Thus, more than 53,000 servicemen, 6,000 of whom are officers, have signed a contract with the Ukrainian army since the beginning of the year.
There are 11,000 mobilized individuals that were enlisted for military service under contract. Preference is given to the acquisition of vertical posts for the non-commissioned officers.
Hutsulyak stressed that, after transition to contract service, mobilized servicemen receive a one-time monetary payment, an amount that is 8 to 10 times the minimum wage, without resigning from military service.
According to a decree from the Cabinet of Ministers, they receive a lump-sum cash award; officers receive ten times the minimum wage (UAH 14,500 or about USD 560.62); sergeants receive nine times the minimum wage (UAH 13,050 or USD 504.55); and soldiers receive eight times the minimum wage (UAH 11,600 or USD 448.49).
“These benefits will remain until the end of the special period and announcements of general demobilization,” Hutsulyak assured.
The Defense Ministry also remarked that the guaranteed monthly allowance for a soldier in military service under the first year of their contract from the beginning of the year is UAH 7,000 (USD 270.64), and for the officers, from UAH 9,000 (about USD 47.97).
Moreover, payments for contracted soldiers serving in combat command positions of non-commissioned officers, depending upon the length of service, have been increased by UAH 800 (USD 30.93) since July of this year. These include squad leaders, commanders of combat vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, guns, mortars and the main officers at all levels.
About one hundred foreigners are serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.