Defence Ministry ends practice of prematurely suspending payments to families of missing servicemen

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has ended the practice of prematurely suspending payments to families of missing servicemen. The directive states that payments should continue until a court decision declaring the servicemember missing or a death certificate is issued. In some units, payments were halted as soon as documents confirming a body's identification were available.

This change aims to ensure families receive payments even before the service member's death or status is officially established. The law does not specify documents as grounds for terminating payments. Deputy Minister of Defense Liubov Halan emphasized that the directive requires uniform application of the law throughout the armed forces.

A separate directive (No. 4264/ud dated September 23, 2026) has been communicated to military command bodies, units, institutions, and organizations. Financial support for missing servicemembers is paid monthly based on an order from the commander. Payments continue until either a court decision or death certificate is issued, or when the service member is removed from the unit's personnel roster.

Identification and official registration of death are different legal procedures, with the death certificate or court decision being the decisive factors. The ministry added that the next step is to amend Ministry of Defense Order No. 280 to clearly state that a service member can only be removed from the personnel roster due to death on the basis of a death certificate.