What Payments are Owed to Families of Missing or Captured Military Personnel?
Families of military personnel who are missing or captured are entitled to monthly payments calculated as a percentage of the monetary allowance the servicemember would have received. It is important to clarify that the payment is not automatic but is assigned to specific individuals. Depending on the degree of kinship or a personal directive from the servicemember, the percentage may vary; for example, if a personal directive is written, the payment amount can reach 100% of the allowance. More details about the payment amounts and who can receive them will be described below.
Who Can Claim Payments for a Missing or Captured Servicemember?
Based on a personal directive from the servicemember, the recipient of the payment can be any person, regardless of kinship or other connections. In this directive, a percentage that a specific person will receive can also be indicated; the servicemember can allocate, at their own discretion, the full 100% of their monetary allowance.
As for persons granted the right by law to receive payments for a missing or captured servicemember, they are relatives of the first and second degrees of kinship. The first degree includes the wife/husband, minor children, children with disabilities regardless of age, and parents who have not been deprived of parental rights. However, an exception is made for those who receive alimony. They can only be recipients under a personal directive, as the alimony amount is already deducted from the allowance. The second degree includes adult children, as well as brothers and sisters, but only in the absence of first-degree relatives.
It should be noted that even with a personal directive from the servicemember, minor children, adult disabled children, a disabled widow (widower), and disabled parents cannot be deprived of payments. If they are not mentioned in the directive, they must be paid 50% of what each of them would have received if the directive did not exist.
What Documents are Needed to Apply for the Payment?
To apply for the payment, the servicemember’s family will need the following documents: an application stating the bank name and current account number in IBAN format, copies of the passport, identification code, copies of documents confirming family ties, and, if available, copies of documents appointing a person as a guardian or adopter, or copies of documents establishing disability.
Application Process for Receiving Payment: Where to Apply? Review Timelines?
This application is submitted through the Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support (hereinafter TCC), regardless of the applicant’s or servicemember’s place of registration. The TCC ensures that copies of the documents provided by the applicant are attached to the payment application, certifies them in the prescribed manner, then creates a PDF from these documents, signs it with an electronic signature, and submits it to the military unit.
The review of the application with documents and the adoption of a corresponding decision by the military unit takes about 15 days from the date of receipt of such an application. In case of a positive decision, payments will be made monthly (in the current month for the previous month) by transferring funds to the bank account specified in the application.
Payment Amounts for Relatives of Missing or Captured Personnel in 2025
The exact payment amount is individual, as the total payment sum is calculated from the sum of the servicemember’s monthly monetary allowance and other payments, such as annual payments for resolving social and domestic issues, for health improvement, and others, but after deducting alimony and other mandatory deductions according to the law.
If there is a personal directive, the person in whose favor the directive is made receives the portion specified in it. In this case, the payment portion can reach 100%, whereas without such a directive, the maximum portion is no more than 50%.
As mentioned above, minor children, adult disabled children, a disabled widow (widower), and disabled parents cannot be deprived of the payments they are entitled to.
In the absence of a directive, first-degree relatives, as listed above, receive the payment, divided among them in equal parts from 50% of the servicemember’s allowance. The remaining 50% is deposited for the servicemember. If there are no first-degree relatives, then second-degree relatives receive the payment, divided among them in equal parts from 20%, and the remainder, 80% of the allowance, is deposited for the servicemember.
What Benefits are Available to Families of Missing Military Personnel in Ukraine?
Families of missing military personnel are entitled to certain benefits. For example, a survivor’s pension (pension in connection with the loss of a breadwinner). This pension is assigned to incapacitated family members, which include persons with disabilities, retirees, children under 18, as well as full-time students up to 23 years old, and relatives who care for children under 8 years old.
Also, the Law of Ukraine “On the Social and Legal Protection of Servicemen and Their Families” provides the following benefits: a 50% discount on utility payments; free travel for the servicemember’s parents on all types of urban transport and discounts on intercity transport; the right to receive a land plot, privatization of the housing they occupy from the state fund; and priority improvement of housing conditions.
In addition, servicemembers whose relatives were killed or went missing during combat operations have the right to discharge from military service. Furthermore, citizens whose close relatives were killed or went missing are not subject to conscription for military service during mobilization.
Payments to a Servicemember After Returning from Captivity: Is Compensation Provided?
After release from captivity, the servicemember is entitled to a one-time financial assistance payment. The payment amount is UAH 100,000; this is a fixed sum. Only the servicemember personally can receive it. Relatives cannot do this. To receive this assistance, an application must be submitted online on the website of the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, in the corresponding section. The financial payment can only be received after the fact of being in captivity has been established.
What to Do if a Payment Claim for a Missing Soldier is Denied?
Relatives of a soldier who is missing may be denied the monthly payment from the monetary allowance. It is important that the denial is in writing, with clearly stated, justified reasons, which are usually procedural. The applicant can then correct them and resubmit the application. If the denial is not based on legal norms, it can be challenged in court.
However, there are reasons for a lawful denial, in the following cases: the applicant is not among the persons entitled to receive the payment; the complete package of necessary documents was not submitted; violation of application deadlines; the servicemember’s voluntary surrender, desertion, or unauthorized absence.
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Payments for Missing or Captured Military Personnel in Ukraine 2025: Who is Eligible and How to Claim
Payments for Missing or Captured Military Personnel in Ukraine in 2026: Have There Been Changes in Legislation?
In 2026, the issue of payments for missing or captured military personnel in Ukraine continues to be regulated by the following two regulatory acts: the Law of Ukraine No. 2011-XII “On Social and Legal Protection of Servicemen and Members of Their Families” and the Procedure for Payment of Monetary Allowance to Servicemen Captured or Taken Hostage, as well as those Interned in Neutral States or Missing, approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated November 30, 2016, No. 884.
The most recent amendments to Clause 6 of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine No. 2011-XII “On Social and Legal Protection of Servicemen and Members of Their Families,” which directly regulates the matter in question, were introduced by the Law of Ukraine No. 3995-IX dated October 8, 2024. Similarly, the latest amendments to the Procedure for Payment of Monetary Allowance to Servicemen Captured or Taken Hostage, as well as those Interned in Neutral States or Missing (Resolution No. 884), have been applied since February 1, 2025.
Therefore, in view of the above, we can state that in 2026, the procedure for payments for missing or captured military personnel in Ukraine has not undergone changes from a legislative perspective.
For the successful resolution of the matter under consideration, please follow these tips and recommendations:
If you are a service member, it would be advisable, first and foremost, to draw up a personal directive (disposition). Only through a personal directive can you designate specific individuals entitled to receive the monetary allowance and determine the specific share for such individuals. Furthermore, it is worth remembering that regardless of the content of the personal directive, the right to the appointment and receipt of a one-time financial aid is held by minor, underaged, or adult disabled children, a disabled widow (widower), and disabled parents of the deceased (perished) person in the amount of 50 percent of the share that would belong to each of them in the case of appointment and payment of one-time financial aid in the absence of a personal directive.
If you are a person entitled to receive a corresponding share of the monetary allowance, submit an application along with the necessary documents (the list is provided in previous sections) to the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center (TRSC/TЦК), as the corresponding payments are not assigned automatically.
Additionally, remember that it will not be possible to receive payments if the service member voluntarily surrendered, arbitrarily left the military unit (place of service), or deserted from the Armed Forces of Ukraine or other military formations and law enforcement agencies established in accordance with the laws of Ukraine.
Moreover, in case of an unjustified refusal of payments, we advise challenging the corresponding decision through judicial proceedings.
What Has Changed in the Amount and Procedure of Payments in 2025
Previously, before the amendments adopted on February 1, 2025, a soldier’s wife or husband could receive the full amount of the monetary allowance, but other relatives were not entitled to receive these funds. From February 1, 2025, the list of eligible relatives has expanded, but the payment amount has decreased, as mentioned earlier, from 100% to 50% or 20% of the allowance, leaving the other part for the servicemember. Thus, the updated version of the law covers and evenly distributes financial assistance among a wider circle of people, helping all close relatives of the servicemember.
Additionally, servicemembers now have the opportunity to write a personal directive, which grants the right to payment to any person, regardless of family ties, and even any percentage of the amount. Also, a significant fact is that the servicemember will have their own financial reserve, which is deposited into their account and will help them upon their return.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is compensation due if a servicemember died in captivity?
Yes, a payment is due to the families of military personnel who died in captivity. The state compensation is 15 million hryvnias; the amount is not paid all at once. The first payment is 1/5 of the sum, and the remaining amount is paid out over 40 months. Additionally, relatives can apply to the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine for one-time assistance in the amount of UAH 100,000.
What to do if the marriage with the spouse was not officially registered?
In this situation, there will be difficulties in obtaining assistance, benefits, and other provisions. From a legal standpoint, a spouse in an unregistered marriage is not considered a family member; correspondingly, the opposite must be proven. As a rule, it will be necessary to prove the fact of cohabitation as one family in court. Only after a positive court decision will the spouse gain the right to payments, assistance, and benefits.
Can a soldier’s parents receive payment if there is no personal directive?
Yes, as of February 1, 2025, amendments have been introduced that place parents in the same degree of kinship as the wife/husband, minor children, and children with disabilities. They will all receive an equal share of the payment amount unless the servicemember has specified otherwise in their directive.
Is voluntary surrender considered a reason for denial of payments?
Yes, voluntary surrender, as well as unauthorized absence or desertion, is a reason for denial of financial assistance. This denial can be challenged, but only by challenging the fact of voluntary surrender, desertion, or unauthorized absence itself.
How Can a Lawyer Help in Obtaining Compensation for a Missing or Captured Soldier?
Although the procedure for obtaining payments for a captured or missing servicemember is not overly complicated, some may still need a lawyer’s help. For example, a lawyer can help expedite and secure recognition from the TCC or military unit that the soldier is missing or captured, by sending letters with applications and inquiries. The fact of such recognition is key in this matter.
Assistance will be especially relevant for women and men who were not in an officially registered marriage with the servicemember. A lawyer will help gather the necessary documents to confirm the fact of cohabitation as one family. An attorney will help in getting this fact recognized in court.
Also, if relatives are denied payment, an attorney can analyze the legality of the denial and advise the client on the reasons for the refusal. If the denial was unlawful, the attorney can help appeal such a decision, even in court, which will restore the lawful right of the servicemDember’s relatives.
The Law Firm “Yevhen Stryzhak and Partners” will help you resolve the aforementioned issues, as well as others that arise, related to receiving payments for the families of captured or missing servicemembers.