Ukraine Overhauls Army With Pay Hikes, Discharge Plan
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- Zelensky said reform details will be finalized in May, with implementation and first results due in June, targeting infantry shortages and the discharge of troops mobilized early in the war.
- Under the new pay model, non-combat positions will earn at least 30,000 hryvnias (S$869.74) monthly — a one-third increase — while special infantry contracts will range from 250,000 to 400,000 hryvnias, with combat pay "several times higher" than the non-combat floor.
- Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, appointed in January to tackle mobilization and draft evasion, called the package a "systemic" transformation encompassing a fair-pay model, a new contract system, and a "transparent rotation policy."
- Most servicemen mobilized since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion have no fixed term of service, with troops reportedly stationed at the same positions for months without rotation; the reforms aim to introduce time-based discharge criteria starting this year.
- Military analysts estimate more than one million people are serving in Ukraine's defense, and the pay increases will deepen Ukraine's financial strain as it remains dependent on foreign aid to cover expanding military costs.
- Zelensky framed the reform as a prerequisite for sustained fighting, saying Ukraine "must be ready to fight on" if US-mediated peace talks fail to produce a deal.
Why it matters: Ukraine is tying its ability to sustain the war to institutional fixes — better infantry pay (up to 400,000 hryvnias per contract), defined service terms, and rotation — but the higher wages will widen a defense budget that already depends on foreign aid, while peace talks remain deadlocked. Military adviser Serhii Sternenko captured the stakes: "If we manage to carry out everything the Ministry of Defence has planned, we will defeat Russia. There's no other option."
