Ukraine’s military-pay system, in force since 1 June, includes bonuses for taking enemy servicemembers prisoner and for confirmed kills in small-arms or hand-to-hand combat, the Defense Ministry explained on 20 August.

The capture reward is divided among the troops involved, while the kill bonus requires video confirmation.

Under the Defense Ministry’s payment rules, the capture reward is divided among the troops involved, while the kill bonus requires video confirmation. Both are paid by order of a unit commander and fall outside the monthly limit on other combat bonuses.

How the new payments work

Oksana Liekontseva, a senior Defense Ministry official, said the highest additional payments go to troops carrying out assault operations on the line of contact or inside Russian defenses. Lower rates apply to restoring Ukrainian positions or operating farther from the front.

The zonal and assault payments depend on the time spent on each mission and require documentary confirmation. Base salaries and existing combat payments remain unchanged, while eligible personnel who do not receive combat payments can receive a smaller supplement.

The overhaul is part of a broader military reform President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in May, combining higher frontline pay with new fixed-term contracts.

Combat medic and writer Yaryna Chornohuz has argued that bonuses cannot substitute for adequate base pay and predictable service terms, particularly for troops who have already served for years.