Zelensky announces reforms in Ukrainian army, including salary increase

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Friday the launch of an "army reform" that includes a "significant" increase in military salaries, among other matters.

In a statement to US social media company X, Zelensky said key areas of the reform had been agreed upon over the last month and that all key details would be finalized in May.

"In June, the reform will begin-and the first results must already be delivered in June, particularly in the area of financial support for soldiers, sergeants, and commanders of the Defense Forces of Ukraine," Zelensky said.

He set the task of "significantly increasing pay based on the principle of fairness," he said, adding that frontline combat duties, experience, and effectiveness "must guarantee increased pay."

"The minimum level must be at least 30,000 (Ukrainian) hryvnias for non-combat positions. For combat positions, it should be several times higher," he said.

Zelensky added that he instructed the introduction of special contracts for infantry personnel, with payments ranging from 250,000 to 400,000 Ukrainian hryvnias, "depending on the execution of combat missions."

"Approaches to staffing our units and managing personnel will be changed. I have instructed that the contract system in the Defense Forces be strengthened so that, by expanding the contract component, defined service duration terms are ensured and-starting already this year-a phased discharge from service becomes possible for those who were mobilized earlier, based on clear time-based criteria," he also said.

The Ukrainian president went on to say that he instructed the country's military command and Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov to discuss the reform's implementation with combat commanders and to take their proposals into account in the work on its details.

"Next week, I expect a report on concrete steps to implement the reform-including the schedule for increased payments starting in June and the system of updated contracts," he added.