Ukrainian troops wrongfully claimed $3.4 million in combat duty pay — audit

Ukrainian military servicemembers have wrongfully received UAH 123 million ($3.8 million) in extra combat duty pay, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry reported on Oct. 30.

The ministry discovered the discrepancy after conducting an audit of around 40 military units.

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Such violations were made possible due to loopholes in existing rules that allow unit commanders to interpret the terms “active combat” and “combat duty” very loosely. This gave them the ability to award bonus pay at their discretion, according to the ministry.

For instance, UAH 100,000 ($2,700) each was received by soldiers of a pontoon-bridge company who were carrying out engineering tasks in Kyiv Oblast — far away from the front lines.

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Deputy Defense Minister Yuriy Dzhygyr called it unfair, asserting that 100,000 UAH should be received by those who perform tasks “under direct fire.”

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The ministry added that it is consulting with the General Staff to correct these ambiguities and ensure extra pay is awarded only to troops engaged directly in fighting enemy forces.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine

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