A court ordered the Ministry of Defense to pay the soldier’s widow a portion of the ₴15 million in benefits
The Ivano-Frankivsk District Administrative Court ruled in favor of a military veteran’s widow, whom the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense had denied a one-time financial assistance payment and sent her documents back for revision.
The court ruled that this decision was unlawful and ordered the ministry to pay the woman the appropriate benefit.
According to the case file, the junior sergeant died in the summer of 2023 from an illness related to defending his homeland. While carrying out a combat mission in the Huliaipole area of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the soldier fell ill and was subsequently hospitalized. He died in the hospital from acute pancreatitis.
The documents state that the illness and cause of death are directly related to the performance of duties in defense of Ukraine.
After her husband’s death, his wife applied to the Ministry of Defense for a one-time financial assistance payment in the amount of a share of 15 million hryvnias; however, the ministry returned the documents for revision.
A representative of the Ministry of Defense insisted that the payment could not be made under the relevant procedure because the soldier did not die as a result of a wound.
“The junior sergeant died as a result of an illness related to the defense of the Motherland; since the death was not the result of an injury (concussion, trauma, or mutilation) as provided for in Procedure No. 168, but occurred as a result of an illness, then, given these circumstances, the right to receive a one-time cash benefit must be determined in accordance with Resolution No. 975 and Article 16 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Social and Legal Protection of Servicemen and Members of Their Families,’ – noted the defendant’s representative.
After reviewing the case materials, Judge Serhiy Ostapiuk concluded that the widow is entitled to the relevant assistance.
The court ordered the Ministry of Defense to allocate and pay the woman her share of the 15 million hryvnia one-time cash benefit.
At the same time, the court denied the claim filed by the servicemember’s mother. The ruling states that the Ministry of Defense had not yet issued a separate decision regarding her, so the appeal to the court was premature.
The court emphasized that both the widow and the mother of the deceased soldier are entitled to equal shares of the one-time financial assistance provided for by law.
Currently, the court’s decision has not yet taken legal effect and may be appealed.
The court’s decision was published in the court registry in June 2026.
Earlier, a court in Volyn sentenced a servicemember to five years in prison for twice leaving his post without authorization (AWOL) after participating in combat operations and sustaining injuries.
Employees of the State Bureau of Investigations completed the pre-trial investigation and filed an indictment against a serviceman from the Sumy region. The man is accused of illegally possessing and selling firearms, ammunition, and explosives without the required legal authorization.
