Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced Friday that his country will boost military salaries and expand efforts to recruit international fighters as the nation’s armed forces struggle with personnel shortages following four years of conflict with Russia.
The announcement comes after Zelenskiy’s administration indicated in May it would examine potential strategies to strengthen military staffing levels following stalled negotiations regarding ending hostilities with Russia.
“We agreed on how to increase the financial resilience of our defence and further transformation of the Ukrainian army,” Zelenskiy stated during his nightly address following discussions with senior cabinet officials.
“The cabinet of ministers will approve a specific mechanism, and the government should start the first new payments as early as June,” he continued.
The salary increases are supported by a €90 billion European Union loan that enables Ukraine’s government to boost defense expenditures to an unprecedented 4.4 trillion hryvnias ($97 billion) for this year. These funds are expected to begin arriving this month.
Zelenskiy revealed Friday that officials will increase base military compensation by one-third, bringing it to 30,000 hryvnias ($700). Military analysts and economists note this adjustment aims to align with the nation’s average monthly earnings, which have consistently increased during wartime due to workforce shortages.
Frontline infantry personnel will see their average monthly compensation rise to 300,000 hryvnias (approximately $7,000), a significant jump from the current range of 100,000 to 150,000 hryvnias. These soldiers will also have access to new fixed-term service agreements lasting 10, 14, or 24 months for combat assignments.
Beyond salary improvements, Kyiv plans to expand international recruitment efforts.
“I have instructed to create significantly more opportunities to recruit foreign volunteers into the Ukrainian army, and there will be more recruitment channels in this regard,” Zelenskiy explained.
Ukrainian military publications estimate that approximately 10,000 international volunteers from over 70 nations have enlisted in Ukraine’s military since the conflict started.
