Zelenskyy signs law on payment of UAH 15 million to families of soldiers killed in captivity

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed law, which, among other things, provides for the payment of UAH 15 million (approximately EUR 307 650) to the families of soldiers killed in captivity, the statement said in the card of document on the Verkhovna Rada's website.

"I also signed a law that we discussed with the relatives of Ukrainians in Russian captivity, with our soldiers who were released and returned home. The law restores justice, the law solves the financial issue – so that the soldiers who were captured receive the same financial guarantees as all defenders of Ukraine," the head of state said in the evening address.

The adopted document amends the Law on Social and Legal Protection of Military Personnel and Members of Their Families.

Families of defenders will receive a one-time financial assistance of UAH 15 million in case of death of a serviceman while performing his duties, including in captivity.

This amount will not be paid if the serviceman voluntarily surrendered.

The period after dismissal from service during which defenders can receive a one-time financial assistance after being wounded (contusion, trauma or injury) or illness while performing their duties, which led to partial disability without establishing disability, has also been extended. This also applies to persons discharged from military service who have partially lost their ability to work due to the above reasons.

Now, the period for receiving such benefits is one year after discharge from service (previously it was only three months).

Ministry of Defense noted that the soldiers were often unable to obtain all the necessary documents and receive these payments in time due to the long period of treatment and rehabilitation, as well as the presence of their units in combat areas.

In addition, the financial assistance for changing the disability group will now be calculated according to the subsistence minimum set as of January 1 of the calendar year when the change occurs. Previously, it was calculated based on the date when the disability was first established.

The provisions on the UAH 15 million payment and the recalculation of benefits when changing the disability group come into force one month and one day after the publication of the law and apply to cases that occurred from February 24, 2022.

The provision on the extension of the period for receiving the payment comes into force one month after the date of publication of the law.

• Since July 28, 2025, the Day of Remembrance of those tortured or killed in captivity has been annually commemorated.
• On the night of July 28-29, 2022, Russians carried out a terrorist attack in a colony in the temporarily occupied Olenivka – the occupiers killed more than 50 Azovstal defenders and wounded more than 150. On the third anniversary of the Russian crime, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy called on the International Criminal Court in The Hague issue arrest warrants for all those responsible for this terrorist attack.