Up to 50% of assault and infantry positions to go to foreigners: Ukraine’s Defense Ministry plans

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense intends to fill up to 30–50% of assault troop and infantry positions with foreign volunteers.

Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced this on Telegram.

According to Fedorov, opening the foreign recruitment market serves two goals: strengthening combat units and preserving the lives of Ukrainian servicemembers. The minister described fairness toward those who have served the longest in the Defense Forces and spent the most time on combat missions as the key issue. A gradual discharge from service for such personnel is planned to begin before the end of the year.

“This is only the first stage of a large-scale transformation. The second is a comprehensive transformation of the recruitment and mobilization process. We are building an army with clear rules and respect for the servicemember. Human life is the greatest value. And our main task is to do everything possible to preserve the life of a servicemember at the front. It is precisely such an army that can give Ukraine a strong position for ending the war,” Fedorov explained.

In parallel, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced pay raises for military personnel, UNIAN reported. In particular, payments for servicemembers in the rear are planned to increase to at least 30,000 hryvnias. The more combat missions a servicemember completes, the higher the payment will be.

A mechanism for contracts of 10, 14, and 24 months is also being worked out. Upon expiration of the term, those subject to military service will have the right to a deferment.

In addition, payments for Ukrainian combat commanders will be increased. The specific mechanism will be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, and the Cabinet is expected to begin the first new supplementary payments as early as June.

Zelensky also named the expansion of opportunities and mechanisms for recruiting foreign volunteers into the Ukrainian army as one of the areas of reform.