Defenders have the right to direct funds to their families or specific individuals, or to choose a mechanism for depositing a portion of their payments for their future after returning.
Starting from February 2025, military personnel can independently determine who will receive their benefits in case of capture or disappearance. How to do this already in 2026, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine explained, UNN reports.
To exercise the right of choice, a serviceman can draw up a personal order, which specifies the recipients and percentage shares of payments. Such an order is certified by the commander of the military unit or a notary, after which the original is transferred for storage in the personal file.
The agency also emphasized that a serviceman has the right to cancel or update their order at any time.
How to draw up a personal order
Write. Draw up a document in any form. Clearly indicate the persons and their shares in percentages (for example, 100% to one person or 50% to two different ones).
Certify. The authenticity of the signature must be certified by the commander of the military unit or a notary.
Transfer. The original is transferred to the commander for storage in the personal file: on the day of certification by the commander, or within 10 days if certified by a notary.
Who will receive the money
The mechanism depends on whether there is a personal order from the serviceman.
If there is an order
Payments are made to those persons and in those amounts (percentages) that the serviceman personally determined. Important: this works regardless of family ties. That is, the recipients are determined not by the order of inheritance, but by specific free will.
If there is no order
An automatic distribution mechanism applies:
- 50% is paid to the closest relatives according to the law;
- 50% is deposited into the serviceman's personal account.
That is, if we are talking about, conditionally, UAH 120,000/month, then in the absence of an order, UAH 60,000 is received by the family, and another UAH 60,000 is deposited by the state.
Deposit: financial guarantee after return
The state keeps the deposited part of the funds in the account until the serviceman returns to ensure their financial stability. That is, part of the payments does not "dissolve" in current expenses, but accumulates as a reserve for the period after service.
Protection against inflation
The saved amount does not just lie in the account. It is necessarily indexed in accordance with current legislation, that is, it must be protected from depreciation due to inflation.
Recall
The Verkhovna Rada adopted Law No. 13646 on the social protection of servicemen, which establishes UAH 15 million as the maximum amount of assistance to the families of the deceased. This amount includes payments received during the status of missing in action.