A month in captivity for three months of service: Ukraine proposes to change the rules for calculating military service

In Ukraine, it is proposed to change the rules for calculating years of service for military personnel who were in Russian captivity. One month of captivity is proposed to be counted as three months of service. The corresponding petition No. 22/269404-ep is registered on the website of the President of Ukraine.

The author of the initiative is a marine officer, military lawyer and former prisoner of war Pavlo Bersan. According to him, he spent 992 days in Russian captivity.

The petition was published on August 26, 2026. As of September 23, it had received 13,782 votes out of the required 25,000.

What exactly is proposed to be changed

The initiative concerns the preferential calculation of years of service for military pensions, and not the general work or insurance experience.

Currently, the Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 393 provides for the inclusion of the time spent by a serviceman in captivity or hostages in the number of years of service, provided that the person did not surrender voluntarily and did not commit a crime against peace and humanity.

At the same time, the current rules do not establish a separate increasing coefficient specifically for the time spent in captivity.

Instead, periods of direct participation of a serviceman in measures to ensure the defense of Ukraine under the conditions specified by law may be included in determining the amount of a military pension on preferential terms – one month of service for every three months.

Pavlo Bersan proposes to apply a similar principle to the time spent in captivity – “one month of captivity for every three months of service.”

The author of the petition argues this by saying that captivity is a direct consequence of the serviceman’s performance of his duties and can be accompanied by torture, hunger, illness, as well as severe physical and psychological consequences.

At the same time, this is currently only a proposal by the petitioner, not an approved change in the legislation.

They also propose to change the rules for paying 100 thousand hryvnia

The petition contains another requirement, which concerns additional remuneration to military personnel during treatment.

The author proposes to pay additional remuneration to military personnel who are inpatient or undergoing rehabilitation due to an illness causally related to the defense of the Motherland, if the relevant connection has been established by a military medical commission.

Currently, additional remuneration in the amount of up to 100 thousand hryvnia per month is provided, in particular, for military personnel who are inpatient due to injury, contusion, trauma or disability related to the defense of Ukraine, as well as in certain cases – on leave for treatment after a serious injury.

Illness is not specified as a separate basis for receiving such a payment in the current rules.

What has already changed for those released from captivity

In August 2026, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Law No. 4954-IX on medical care, rehabilitation and prosthetics for military personnel, veterans and those released from captivity.

The document expands a number of medical guarantees, in particular for people who have contracted diseases as a result of hostilities or captivity. The main provisions of the law should be put into effect on November 24, 2026.

At the same time, this law itself does not establish the payment of 100 thousand hryvnias for the treatment of the disease proposed in the petition.

What will happen next

In order for an electronic petition to be considered by the President of Ukraine, it must collect at least 25 thousand signatures within no more than three months from the date of its publication.

Even if it receives the required number of votes, this will not mean the automatic introduction of the formula “one month of captivity for three months of service”. The petition must be considered, after which, if supported, appropriate changes to the regulatory framework are necessary to implement the proposal.