On June 12, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 768, which introduced an updated system of military contracts and financial support. These changes directly affect both active military personnel and those who are just planning to connect their lives with service in the Defense Forces.
Contract terms: from uncertainty to fixed terms
Before the reform, there were two main forms of contract in the Armed Forces:
• fixed-term contracts (the duration depended on the category: privates signed for 3 years, sergeants and non-commissioned officers signed for 3–5 years, and officers signed for 5 years);
• wartime contracts (their term was not determined by a specific date, but was tied to the end of a special period or the announcement of a decree on demobilization).
This meant that the serviceman did not actually know when his service would end.
The new system sets clear deadlines depending on who you are and where you are going. A full comparison table is in the infographic above. The key principle is that after the contract expires, a serviceman has a guaranteed right to be discharged without being tied to martial law.
For those already serving in combat units, the shortest term is 10 months. Civilians and reservists entering combat positions for the first time sign a contract for 14 months, of which at least 12 must be spent directly in combat positions. Veterans returning to service after discharge during a special period can sign a contract for 6 months or more. For non-combat positions and units, regardless of category, the term is 24 months.
Important: the list of combat positions and combat units subject to terms of 10, 14, and 6 months (for veterans) was approved by a separate order of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
What do military personnel receive after discharge?
Servicemen who have concluded an incentive contract receive a guaranteed deferment from conscription after their discharge. The basic term is 6 months, to which is added the deferment time depending on participation in hostilities and total length of service. The calculation of the deferment is established by Resolution No. 768 (for more details: https://www.kmu.gov.ua/…/pro-realizatsiiu…).
Those who did not conclude an incentive contract and are dismissed by decree of the President of Ukraine are not subject to conscription for three years from the date of dismissal.
Cash benefits: new payment logic
The financial support of military personnel consists of several permanent components - official salary, salary by military rank, seniority allowance, allowance for specific service features and monthly bonus. To these are added combat payments according to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 168
(more details: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/168-2022-%D0%BF#Text): 100,000 UAH/month for participation in combat operations, 70,000 UAH for 30 days on the contact line to the company stronghold, 50,000 UAH/month. for management at the command post, 30,000 UAH/month for performing combat missions. For a rifleman on the contact line under this system, the maximum was about 190,000 UAH/month.
Resolution No. 768 does not change the amount of basic cash benefits and the procedure for calculating them (for more details: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/168-2022-%D0%BF#Text). The document introduces a new system of combat bonuses on top of the existing one: additional payments are tied to the specific zone of stay and the nature of the tasks performed. The right to these payments does not depend on the type of service or the availability of a new contract - they are received by both mobilized and contract soldiers who are already serving.
Rear additional reward
Military personnel, regardless of the type of service and the presence of a new contract, will be given a new payment (additional rear remuneration) of UAH 10,000/month. Together with the basic salary, the minimum payment in the rear will be from UAH 30,000/month.
Payouts on the collision line
The resolution introduces a differentiated scale of combat pay by zones:
• for participation in hostilities on the front line — 100,000 UAH/month in proportion to time;
• stay and performance of tasks up to and including the platoon stronghold — 170,000 UAH/month proportionally to time;
• stay and performance of tasks up to and including the company base — 70,000 UAH/month proportionally to time.
Payments are accrued in proportion to the number of days of task completion in the relevant zone.
Daily for assault actions
Separate daily allowances are provided for active combat operations:
• restoration of positions in the depths of one's own defense — 20,000 UAH/day;
• assault on the contact line or in the depths of the enemy's defense — 40,000 UAH/day.
Bonuses for results
Beyond the general limit of combat payments (460 thousand UAH, more details below), personal bonuses are paid:
• capturing the enemy — 100,000 UAH for each;
• destruction in close combat (if video recording is available) — 15,000 UAH for each.
Total limit and maximum
The total amount of monthly combat payments (performance of tasks on the front line, in a certain zone, and additional payments for assault actions) is limited to 460,000 UAH/month.
Basic cash support, a one-time contract signing bonus, and combat performance bonuses are added to this amount separately.
Thus, the maximum combat pay on the front line has more than doubled — from about 190,000 to 460,000 UAH/month, not counting performance bonuses.
What does this look like in practice?
Let's consider a specific example of a calculation for June 2026.
Serviceman: assault platoon rifleman, senior soldier, called up for mobilization since April 2026 (service less than a year). On June 17, 2026, he signed a 10-month incentive contract.
What happened in a month: 25 days of completing tasks at a platoon stronghold, 5 days at a company stronghold, 6 days of assault operations to capture enemy positions, the destruction of one enemy serviceman in a small-arms battle, confirmed by video recording.
Will be charged:
• monthly financial support — 23,997 UAH;
• one-time cash assistance for signing the first contract — UAH 26,624;
• payment for performing tasks at the platoon OP (CMU Resolution No. 768 of June 12, 2026) — 170,000 ÷ 30 × 25 days = 141,667 UAH;
• payment for performing tasks at the company OP 70,000 ÷ 30 × 5 days = 11,667 UAH;
• payment for direct participation in hostilities — UAH 100,000;
• payment for assault actions — 40,000 UAH × 6 days = 240,000 UAH;
• bonus for destroying an enemy in close combat (paid regardless of the limit of 460,000 UAH) 15,000 UAH × 1 = 15,000 UAH.
The amount of payments limited by the limit before its application: UAH 493,334. Resolution No. 768 limits their total amount to UAH 460,000 — this is the amount that is counted.
So, in total, a serviceman will receive UAH 525,621 per month (UAH 23,997 + 26,624 + 460,000 + 15,000)
For whom and from when do the new payments apply?
Payments under Resolution No. 768 apply to all servicemen, regardless of their type of service, unit, and whether they have signed a new incentive contract. The procedure and details of their accrual will be established by a separate order of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
As reported, the first payments for June 2026 should be received by July 20 (more details: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Pbgiohbwn/).
More detailed terms of the new basic contracts are available on the website army.gov.ua.
Also, for new contracts, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine hotline is available at 1519 (for more information: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18N2FfivW7/).
The Ministry of Defense explains the key innovations and tells how they will work in practice: https://bit.ly/shho-zminyuye-reforma
