Natalia Kalmykova, Deputy Ukrainian Minister of Defense

The Government decision on supplemental payments to military service members performing combat missions in the immediate warzone has recently made headlines in the mass media. What’s important about this decision regarding bonuses and other accrued payments; how payments entitled to members of military personnel fighting on the second and third lines of defense will differ, how much money will be received by wounded or injured defenders during treatment or vacation: Natalia Kalmykova, Deputy Ukrainian Minister of Defense elaborates on this and other things in a blitz interview to Ukrinform.

- Ms. Natalia, the Government has approved supplemental rewards to military personnel engaged in front-line combat operations. How much will they receive and how will these payments be calculated?

- The Cabinet of Ministers has approved UAH 70,000 worth of supplemental cash reward for service members. This UAH 70,000 reward doesn’t replace the UAH 100,000 worth of supplemental payment to combatants, but is an additional payment to those who are fighting at the front line.

Such payments are entitled to servicemen of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Security Service, the State Border Service, the Special Communications Service, the State Special Transport Service, as well as police officers.

This payment is provided specifically to those service members who are fighting on the immediate line of contact with the enemy. Those who perform combat missions or special tasks while being in the first echelon of defense or in offensive proximity to a company-level support point will be eligible to receive it.

This supplement is also entitled to those carrying out combat missions in areas located between the positions of the Defense Forces of Ukraine and the aggressor, on the territories currently occupied by Russia, as well as on the enemy's territory.

One nuance is that the supplemental rewards will be paid to combatants on a monthly basis, and the amount of payment will be calculated in proportion to the number of the days spent executing combat (special) tasks during the war. Regarding the UAH 70,000 paid as supplemental reward, the Cabinet resolution specifies that it should be paid "for every 30 days (calculated cumulatively) of performing such tasks." That is, this payment is not tied to a specific month, but should be paid for a cumulative total of 30 days of executing the tasks.

THERE ARE SIX CATEGORIES OF SUPPLEMENTAL REWARDS PROVIDED FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL

- What is the difference in payments to service members serving on the 2nd or 3rd lines of defense, those who are fighting near Bakhmut, for example, and in Volyn region?

- There are 6 categories of supplemental rewards.

The first is a supplemental reward amounting to UAH 100,000 per month, which is entitled to military servicemen executing combat missions in the immediate warzone, or supporting operations related to national security and defense, fighting off and deterring military aggression in the immediate location of such operations, in particular the Ukrainian areas currently under Russian control.

Similar payments are provided for the families of war prisoners, missing persons and individuals undergoing treatment for wounds, injuries, and contusions related to the defense of the Homeland.

The second category contains a supplemental reward amounting to UAH 50,000. It is entitled to those servicemen who execute combat tasks within a military command organization, group of forces headquarters or a tactical group headquarters and up to the command and control center of an operational-strategic group of forces. This applies also to areas other than the immediate warzone, where a command and control center carries out operational control of military formations, units and subunits conducting combat at the tactical edge that is distanced away from the first echelon of defense or offensive up to and including the Battalion level.

To take effect, the list of such military command and control bodies requires a signature of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The third category covers rewards worth UAH 30,000. During martial law, this reward is entitled to servicemen who perform combat or special missions in accordance with combat orders. This applies to:

► servicemen acting as part of the groups of forces within the State Defense Forces, the Reserve of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the deployed command and control centers of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which carry out command and control of deployed groups of forces;

► personnel engaged in air defense operations and in ground defense of critical infrastructure in accordance with combat orders;

► personnel engaged in providing comprehensive support for deployed groups of forces within the State Defense Forces fighting at the tactical edge, in accordance with orders regarding combat logistics.

That being said, the supplemental rewards are paid on a monthly basis, calculated in proportion to the cumulative total of the time during which combat missions were performed. That is, a serviceman who spent ten days fighting at the tactical edge will be eligible for a third of the UAH 100,000 reward.

The fourth, most recently introduced category contains rewards amounting to UAH 70,000, which I have mentioned above.

The fifth category deals with rewards amounting to from UAH 15,000 to UAH 30,000, entitled to military training instructors.

The sixth category covers payments of UAH 2,350 for cadets of military educational institutions.

SEVERELY WOULDED SERVICEMEN ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENT WORTH UAH 100,000

- What payments are currently provided for members of military personnel who are receiving long-term treatment for wounds or injuries?

- There is a supplemental payment provided for servicemen who, in connection with an injury (contusion, trauma, maiming) related to the defense of the Homeland, are undergoing inpatient treatment in health care facilities for wounds, injuries, and contusions related to the defense of the Homeland. This, by the way, applies also to healthcare facilities located outside of Ukraine.  This payment amounts to UAH 100,000.

It is paid for the duration of inpatient treatment, including the time of transportation to a hospital. In addition, it is entitled to soldiers who are on leave for treatment for a severe wound or injury that is certified as such by a military medical authority.

- How is vacation pay for military personnel calculated now?

- All cash benefits entitled to a service member are reserved for him while on a leave. On top of that, there is a concept such as financial aid for recovery and rehabilitation. It is provided to a serviceman upon his request (report), including in the event of departure for annual leave or part thereof.

REWARD FOR DESTROYED ENEMY EQUIPMENT NEEDS TO BE SUPPORTED WITH PROVEN EVIDENCE

- Military servicemen are known to be eligible for supplemental rewards for the enemy equipment they destroyed. What’s the procedure for receiving such award and how the fact of equipment destruction is registered?

- There is a specific algorithm to prove the fact of equipment destruction or capture. It includes a corresponding report from relevant commander, an entry in the combat log, reports from "neighbours" confirming the destruction of equipment based on visual observation, photo or video recording data, and an act of receipt of trophy property regarding captured equipment. The specified documents are then passed up the vertical chain of command to relevant command and control bodies for decision making.

- What’s the procedure for contesting the amount of the award should there be a suspicion that circumstances of the enemy equipment destruction or capture had been recorded incorrectly?

- Servicemen can contact the free hotline at the number 1512 to report their complaints, which will be considered without fail. Add to that, there will soon be launched the Central Department for the Protection of the Rights of Servicemen, which will be directly subordinate to the Minister of Defense. The new department will have the competence to consider appeals and complaints from servicemen, and provide primary legal aid.

Iryna Kozhuhar

Headline photo: UKMC