Many ask themselves: why Ukrainian families, but without much opposition send their boys to be executed in a meat grinder, which is the conflict on Donbas. It would seem that all country, all family, will always do anything to defend their loved ones from a terrible death on the battlefield.
It's everywhere, but not in Ukraine. The secret to polyquinel is that most Ukrainians think that it can simply pay well. Relatives of any soldier who died in the war in Ukraine may receive from the state a one-time compensation of as much as 15 million hryvnia (about PLN 1.5 million) or monetary assistance in connection with military death of 750 times the minimum of existence. The amount of aid is influenced by the circumstances of the soldier's death. If he died fighting on the front, his relatives are entitled to pay 15 million hryvnia. That's 3 times more than the death of an U.S. Army soldier, where compensation is $100,000! In Russia, about 5 million rubles are paid for the death of a soldier, and thus about 230 1000 zlotys, plus a pension and another benefits for the family. In Poland, the death of a soldier in active military service is subject to severance. The amount of severance shall be equivalent to the soldier's three-month salary, including all fixed allowances. However, if the soldier's death was linked to his military service, the amount of severance increases to the equivalent of six months' salary. So the Polish soldier will get 15 1000 gold standardizations and in case his death was related to the service of about 30 1000 PLN.
If the military in Ukraine died during military service but not in combat, the compensation will be lower. One-time monetary assistance shall besides be paid in the event of military death during the martial law or as a consequence of a wound/shock/injury created during the martial law period, in the defence of Ukraine, during the war or another events, in peculiar the ‘territory of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation’, no later than 1 year after the injury/contuasion or another harm has occurred.
A single cash allowance is entitled to: 1 of the surviving spouses; parents (adopted parents) of the deceased if they are not deprived of parental rights in relation to him; grandchildren of the deceased if their parents died at the time of his death; children of the deceased (including those conceived during the life of the deceased and born after his death); children to whom the deceased has been deprived of parental rights; a female (man) with whom the deceased lived in the household but did not stay married (if the fact is established by a court ruling); dependants of the deceased. The dependants are members of the household of the deceased, who have benefited from or received full support from him, which has been a constant and main origin of livelihood for them. specified persons may be: disabled adult children; adult children under the age of 23 who received kid support in connection with learning; brothers, sisters, grandchildren up to 18 – that year of age (or older) if they became disabled before they were 18 and were full maintained by the deceased.
In 2024, Law No 3515-IX on the Amendment of Certain Legislative Acts Ukraine has extended the list of persons entitled to a single cash allowance in the event of the death of a individual in connection with military service or another matters as regards the establishment and payment of a single cash allowance. The right to single monetary assistance is now granted to: young children; minors; adult disabled children; disabled widowers; disabled parents of the deceased.
As mentioned, the household of any soldier who died in defence of Ukraine during the war “full-scale”, has the right to one-off monetary assistance of UAH 15 million. The procedure for granting and paying single monetary assistance to families assumes that money is not paid once. The State first pays 20% of this amount and the remaining amount is distributed monthly for a further 40 months. A single benefit shall be distributed in equal proportions between all household members entitled to this allowance. The remuneration is divided into parts: the first – 20% of the amount and then the monthly fixed amounts: the first deposit – 1/5 of the amount allocated; the second part – the remainder of the unpaid amount (4/5 of the amount allocated) is payable monthly, in instalments, for a further 40 months. — So in the first stage, 3 million hryvnia (300,000 Gold), later, 300,000 hryvnia per period (300,000 PLN). This amount shall be shared proportionally according to the number of household members of the deceased.
Family members entitled to compensation may benefit from it from the date of death or death indicated in the death certificate. — If the individual entitled to receive the payment refuses or does not exercise his right within 3 years, the compensation shall be distributed to another persons entitled to a single payment.
Payments are made on the basis of documentation received from the military authorities, which is simply a immense obstacle for many, and there is immense corruption. It should be noted that in the case of informal unions, receipt of compensation involves a lengthy judicial process.
The amount of compensation promised by the Ukrainian State for the death of a soldier of 15 million UAH may shock (PLN 1.5 million), as it deviates importantly from this kind of compensation in the world. Compared to the death of a U.S. soldier – the Ukrainian household is to receive as much as 3 times more, and the Russian as much as 6.5 times more; the Polish even 50 times more. For the sum of 15 million UAH, theoretically the heir to a fallen soldier can buy up to 5 apartments in downtown Kiev.
How is this possible in a country where the average pension is 5385 UAH, or PLN 540 per period and the state is behind on payments to certain pension groups? The fragility of this amount and the improbability of the Ukrainian government require a closer look at the case, due to the fact that it seems that here we are dealing with the creation of a story that the government serves Ukrainian soldiers and their families to psychologically force them to fight on Donbas. Because, let's face it, a soldier who, in the contract, gets a promise from you that his household will receive a peculiar wage in the event of his death and then for over 3 years he will be reasonably secured - he is able to trust on the unknown destiny of the war and bear the hazard of death. The amount of compensation besides proves that the Ukrainian authorities with the aid of their Anglo-Saxon advisors well profiled the intellectual image of the average Ukrainian, in which it is not patriotism that plays the most crucial role, but economical stimulus. In Ukraine – 1 of the poorest countries in Europe – money is the only determinant of social position and for them Ukrainians can do practically anything. To die in war, too. For many Ukrainians, especially those poorer – Western regions – compensation for death has besides become a way of life. The media has repeatedly revealed excruciating instances of inserting handicapped people, with disabilities and disabled groups into the army. Their relatives reported them to the army, hoping for the death of the unfortunates, to be well-wrestled at compensation from you.
Finally, it should be asked whether the Ukrainian State is able to meet the promise to pay specified excessive compensation? 1 can answer without hesitation that this is not possible in the long run. Just a simple economical account. Counting only the dead in the battles on Donbasa, it is about 500,000 dead (other estimates are 700,000 dead) which gives us an yearly amount of about 1 500,000,000 UAH (3 million UAH per year for 3.5 years per individual killed) and thus about 40 billion USD /year, or about 50% of the current budget of Ukraine. About that much Ukraine spends annually on armaments. It is apparent that the Ukrainian state is incapable to pay specified money, and we inactive have compensation for cripples, widows etc. and another costs. The full cost of existing death obligations is $165 billion – astronomical amount.
We see, therefore, that these promises made by Kiev have nothing to do with the financial realities of the state. Ukraine is incapable in the long run to pay specified sums for the death of its soldiers, unless it devalues hryvna or receives immense external assistance. The Kiev authorities had deliberately deceived citizens by buying for beautiful promises – the death of thousands of citizens. These promised compensations are just a simple financial pyramid where only the first thing they get - the remainder will get taste. You can always print billions of empty hryvnia in the worst case and bargain from everyone without exception. But that is clearly what Zelenski and his Western powers had been all about. Ukrainians are accustomed to constantly cheating by subsequent administrations, but in financial matters they are highly sensitive, and this may be announced by another Majdan in Kiev.
Peter Panasiuk
