UAH 300,000 for infantry: Zelensky announces military pay increase, new contracts starting in June
In June 2026, Ukrainian military personnel are set to receive increased pay, amounting to at least 30,000 hryvnias for rear-echelon positions and an average of 300,000 hryvnias for front-line infantry soldiers.
The head of state announced this during his address, according to Ukrinform, citing his Telegram channel.
"Yesterday and today have been very active days for our political decisions. Yesterday, I held meetings with Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, and Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi and Chief of the General Staff Hnatov confirm this. The path forward has been agreed upon: to increase the financial stability of our defense and ensure the further transformation of the Ukrainian army. I am grateful to the parliamentarians who approved the budget amendments to strengthen our defense. I am grateful to our partners who are helping us," Zelensky said.
The President emphasized that there are resources available to increase pay in the military: the minimum pay for personnel in the rear will be 30,000 hryvnias. He noted that the more combat missions there are, the higher the pay will be.
"There will be new, significantly better contracts for infantrymen. An average of 300,000 hryvnias on the front lines. Everything depends on the Ukrainian infantry, on our Ukrainian infantrymen. The contracts will be drafted to ensure clarity: contract duration—10, 14, or 24 months—and specific terms, meaning clear deferrals. Guaranteed terms and real deferrals. In addition, payments for Ukrainian combat commanders will be increased, and this should create a positive incentive to retain leadership experience in the army. The Cabinet of Ministers will approve a specific mechanism, and the first new payments are expected to begin as early as June," Zelenskyy announced.
At the same time, the President expressed his gratitude to all volunteers from other countries who are fighting for freedom in Ukraine.
“I have instructed that significantly more opportunities be created to recruit foreign volunteers into the Ukrainian army, and there will be more recruitment mechanisms for this,” he said.
The head of state noted further simplifications in transfers for soldiers, increased opportunities for advancement in the army, and more positive incentives to join the defense forces.
“I expect that every element of the changes currently being implemented will demonstrate its effectiveness this summer. The Ministry of Defense will present the details of the decisions,” he added.
As reported by Ukrinform, on June 10, the Verkhovna Rada adopted in the second reading and as a whole amendments to the 2026 state budget, which are primarily aimed at increasing expenditures on the security and defense sector.