Russian fake on army allowances in Ukraine debunked

Fact Check

In the doctored photo, Russian propagandists did not even care to replace the signature of the former finance minister with that of the current one

Pro-war Telegram channels are circulating a photo of what is claimed to be a certificate allegedly issued to military servicemen of Ukraine instead of allowances for their service in the amount of two million hryvnias.

Russian propagandists claim that such "documents" would ensure that the soldiers receive their pay no earlier than February 2, 2026.

This is a fake report as such a certificate never existed.

The signature at the bottom of the document does not belong to the current Minister of Finance Serhiy Marchenko. Other documents that are easy to find online have his real signature.

The forged signature is that of the former Minister of Finance, Oleksandr Shlapak, who held his position from February 27 to December 2, 2014.

Propagandists simply photoshopped images that freely available online.

Currently, a military bond in Ukraine is worth UAH 1,000. Individuals and legal entities may voluntarily buy them to support the Army. Last year, almost UAH 600 billion was raised through military bonds.

Military servicemen who defend Ukraine receive decent monetary compensation, consisting of two parts – a monthly monetary allowance (depending on the position, rank, service history, etc.) and an additional monetary reward established for the wartime period. For those servicemen who are not directly involved in hostilities, the additional remuneration stands at approximately UAH 1,000 per day, while those who participate in battles receive approximately UAH 3,000 per day.

Andriy Olenin