Ukraine will increase military wages and expand efforts to recruit foreign fighters, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Friday, as the army faces a manpower shortage after four years of war with Russia. The announcement follows a meeting with key cabinet ministers, where they agreed on measures to boost financial resilience and transform the Ukrainian army.
Basic military pay will rise by one-third to 30,000 hryvnias ($700) per month, matching the country's average salary. Infantry soldiers on the frontline will see their average monthly salary increase to 300,000 hryvnias ($7,000), up from 100,000-150,000 hryvnias. New fixed-term contracts of 10, 14, or 24 months will be offered for combat duties. The government aims to start the first new payments as early as June, funded by a €90bn ($104bn) EU loan that will boost defence spending to a record 4.4tn hryvnias ($97bn) this year.
Kyiv also plans to recruit more foreign volunteers, with Zelenskyy instructing the creation of additional recruitment channels. Approximately 10,000 foreign volunteers from over 70 countries have joined the Ukrainian army since the war began. Separately, EU ambassadors agreed on Friday to advance membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova, with the first phase of negotiations starting on Monday.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine's increasing drone strikes aim to 'sow confusion' and damage the economy, but claimed they will not succeed. Ukraine has regularly struck oil refineries and export hubs deep inside Russia, including a major refinery over 1,000km from the frontline. The Russian defence ministry reported intercepting 185 Ukrainian drones over a 12-hour period on Friday, while the governor of Bryansk region said one person was killed and another injured in a drone strike.
Britain announced on Friday that a full ban on Russian diesel and jet fuel will take effect by 2027, with a temporary licence for phasing in the ban expiring on 1 January. The government cited supply issues caused by the Iran war as a reason for deferring the previously announced ban.
