Roman Kostenko, a people's deputy from the "Golos" faction, is actively promoting the draft law on the motivation of military service. He expressed persistence in considering this draft law in the specialized committee with the aim of including it in the agenda of the session.
"We have already held talks with the head of the committee on national security, defense and intelligence regarding the return and consideration of our draft law at the committee," Kostenko said.
The People's Deputy also reminded that some provisions of the draft law on motivation for military service were included in the draft law on mobilization, which was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in April. However, according to him, many provisions related to the motivation of the military remained in the latest draft law and could solve the issue of mobilization.
"Our draft law contains specific proposals to encourage military personnel, including salary increases and financial support for those who are directly on the front lines. We also offer duty-free importation of cars for those who actively participated in hostilities during a certain period. People defending our country should be confident that their efforts are appreciated by the state," Kostenko stressed.
The People's Deputy is sure that in order to achieve these goals, it is not necessary to save money, and the arguments of the Ministry of Finance about possible large costs for the implementation of the draft law are not convincing.
"Can we talk about big expenses? Here we are dealing with people who perform serious tasks, and these are not all citizens of Ukraine, but only a part. We must have a discussion. We need to find these funds. Let's talk to the public. We have millions of people fighting and even more who are not fighting… Talk about raising taxes. It may not be a popular topic, but we should be open about it. For example, about the new social agreement - some are fighting, while others are supporting them," Kostenko stressed.
According to him, those who go to the front, who risk their lives, must have a stable financial situation, and their families must be fully provided for.
"This is a task that we have to perform in the rear," the deputy added.
According to Kostenko, motivation is a key factor in mobilization.
"We should attract to the army first of all those who have motivation. It makes no sense to waste time on those who are not motivated: 100 unmotivated people will not complete the task, and then we will have to look for them when they leave the part without permission," he emphasized.
He also reminded that according to Ukrainian legislation, the majority of citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 are not drafted into the army.
"We need exactly such soldiers to fight in the new asymmetric war. We are facing the challenges of a new technological war and that is why we need to motivate these people. There are many people over 40 in the army who may never have had to deal with such technologies in their lives," the People's Deputy emphasized.
Kostenko is convinced that the adoption of the draft law on the motivation of military service will contribute to the creation of a more professional army in the future.
"If we provide adequate motivation, there will be no need for such a large number of mobilizations, as people will serve voluntarily, especially young people," he concluded.
We will remind you that draft law No. 11012 on amendments to some laws regarding the motivation of military service was registered in the Verkhovna Rada on February 13 by a group of deputies headed by Kostenko.
According to this draft law, servicemen who perform military service for at least 12 months during martial law, of which at least six months are on combat duty, will be entitled to official pay, pay for military rank and a seniority allowance of by a factor of 1.5.
Also, military personnel who have served for at least 24 months during martial law, of which at least 12 months were on combat duty, will receive rank pay, pay for military rank and seniority allowance with a factor of 2.
The draft law also includes provisions on the provision of one-time monetary assistance to persons who have entered into a contract for military service for a period of at least three years or until the announcement of demobilization. The amount of this assistance varies depending on the military rank: 120,000 hryvnias are paid to privates, 160,000 hryvnias to sergeants and senior officers, and 200,000 hryvnias to officers.
The authors of the draft law also propose to increase the amount of compensation for the destruction or capture of the enemy's military equipment. For example, it is proposed to pay from 200 to 370 thousand hryvnias for a tank, a self-propelled artillery installation or a rocket launcher system, and from 30 to 100 thousand hryvnias for an amphibious assault vehicle, armored personnel carrier or other equipment. Unmanned aerial vehicles, missiles, warships and other objects are also provided with appropriate reward amounts according to their typical importance and complexity.
