I wish you good health, fellow Ukrainians!
Earlier today, there was another massive attack by Russian drones – involving a significant number. Since the morning alone, more than 400 drones have been launched, over 200 of them “shaheds.” The density of the attack was high, and because of that – even though the interception rate was also high, with 388 drones shot down – there were still hits. Ternopil, Zhytomyr, the Rivne region, Trostianets in the Vinnytsia region, and other regions and our communities were affected. We are strengthening all areas of defense. There are already decisions for Dnipro – the military command and the Ministry of Defense analyze every attack and propose solutions. For Dnipro: additional radars, electronic warfare systems, and additional crews. There are also decisions for Odesa – the interception rate is already up, but it needs to go higher. We are aware that the Russians are trying to bypass our air defenses by launching highly dense, intense attacks. We will counter this. But we also understand that we cannot stop – this is not yet the result we need; it is still not enough. More strengthening is needed for our cities and villages. Importantly, we work with partners every day to ensure the availability of air defense components to counter missiles. In April, we secured the necessary supplies, and there were also new contributions to the PURL initiative. For May, the task is the same, and we will continue to seek additional opportunities to strengthen Ukraine’s defense through cooperation with countries we have previously engaged with less. We are bringing Ukraine’s expertise in defense to the global level. Every Ukrainian company, all our manufacturers and developers, and the experience of our military in defense operations – all of this is a major Ukrainian asset. This strength must only grow, and I am very grateful to everyone who is truly helping to make that happen.
Today, I also held a meeting on the army reform – we made significant progress on this in April.
There were meetings of the Staff where we worked through the details, and our military also worked separately – the Commander-in-Chief, the General Staff, the Minister of Defense, and the Office of the President team. I thank all of you for this work. Today, we approved the format that will be implemented. The key point is that our army must be more adapted to the challenges. The fifth year of full-scale war sets particular tasks – first and foremost in managing people and in motivating our warriors.
First, financial support for our military personnel will be increased. For rear positions, it will be no less than 30,000 hryvnias per month. Combat positions will receive significantly more. The financial support for our combat commanders – sergeants and officers, battalion, brigade, and corps commanders – will also be raised substantially. Overall, there must be more such state respect for the experienced leadership layer of the army. Ukraine must provide real incentives so that those who know how to command troops directly on the front line and in combat are motivated to remain in the army and feel that their experience is valued. The second aspect of the reform is new special conditions for the infantry. Everything rests on the shoulders of infantry soldiers. Wherever our Ukrainian infantry stands, our Ukrainian positions remain firm. Of course, this is a war in which drones are now indispensable, and kill zones have been created. We have a drone line. Most damage to the enemy and Russian equipment is inflicted by drones. We will continue to expand all types of drone supply and deployment, including middle-strike systems and unmanned ground systems. But our positions are held by our infantry. On the contact line, infantry must be provided with the strongest possible conditions. This will also apply to financial support. I have instructed that monthly contract levels for infantry on the contact line be set at 250,000 to 400,000 hryvnias. The third aspect is terms of service, which can be made clear and defined through an updated contract system. This is the most fundamental moral issue, so that it becomes possible, in particular, to begin releasing those who were mobilized earlier from military service. Now, in May, all aspects of the army reform must be finally approved: documents, regulations, and financial arrangements.
I instructed the Minister of Defense, the military command, and our Office team to discuss the details of the reform with combat commanders in order to take into account all strong proposals and ensure full communication of the changes. It is important that steps have already been taken to support brigades. And the program on direct funding for brigades is working very well. It has been in place since last year. Measures to ensure combat brigades receive guaranteed monthly personnel replenishment are also working. This was another important change. And all of this will continue to develop. Transfers between units will also be further simplified – relevant decisions on this have already been made. And, of course, alongside this, a new significant stage of the army reform. The goal is to finalize everything in May so that changes can be implemented from June of this year and felt in practice.
And one more point. We are also preparing a significant strengthening of our long-range sanctions – Ukraine’s long-range systems. Decisions will follow, as well as decisions on military education.
Glory to Ukraine!