Ukrainian service members will receive additional cash
payments of UAH100,000 ($2,200) for each captured
Russian combatant and UAH15,000 ($335) for killing an enemy soldier in
small-arms combat, Deputy Defense Minister Mstyslav Banik announced on June 15.
Banik said taking Russian soldiers prisoner carries one of the highest levels of combat risk and should be rewarded accordingly. He added that captured Russian troops are an important resource for negotiating the return of Ukrainian defenders held in enemy custody.
The move follows a June 12 announcement from the Defense Ministry that priority pay increases will go to troops performing higher-risk tasks. The ministry said average pay for some frontline service members could reach about UAH300,000 ($6,700).
Roman Kostenko, Ukrainian MP and parliamentary Defense
Committee chair, told Radio NV that funds for the pay increases could come from
EU’s EUR90 billion ($104 billion) loan.