Ukraine has changed the rules for financial support for military personnel who are held captive. Military personnel who voluntarily surrender to the enemy will no longer be entitled to cash payments. This was announced by Oksana Lekontseva, senior officer of the Financial Support Division of the Social Protection Department of the Ministry of Defence.
According to her, the right to monthly support is retained from the moment of capture, disappearance or internment, but only if these circumstances are not voluntary. If an official investigation confirms voluntary surrender, payments are suspended.
In addition, financial assistance is not provided to persons who are entitled to part of military payments but are also citizens of aggressor states, reside in occupied territories, or have been convicted of collaboration or cooperation with the enemy.
According to the new procedure, which has been in force since 1 February 2025 in accordance with Law of Ukraine No. 3995-IX, military personnel who have been taken prisoner can decide for themselves to whom their financial support should be transferred. For this purpose, a personal order is provided, in which relatives or trusted persons can be specified. If there is no such document, half of the funds are reserved for the soldier, and the rest is transferred to the family.
In the absence of first-line recipients, 20% of the funds may be received by other legal representatives, and 80% remain reserved until the soldier’s return.
Payments to prisoners of war include official salary, length of service pay, additional payments and combat bonuses — in particular, 100,000 hryvnia for combatants. Payments are indexed for inflation, which allows their real value to be preserved. The Ministry of Defence emphasises that these changes are intended to ensure transparency, fairness and support for those who are held captive against their will.
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