Legal Navigator for Foreign Military Personnel

Leave

Contents

Types of leave

During martial law, service members may receive the following types of leave:

• Annual basic leave

• Leave for family circumstances

• Sick leave

• As a war veteran (a combatant or a person with a disability resulting from the war)

• Leaves for female service members due to pregnancy, childbirth, or childcare

Annual Basic Leave (Up to 30 Days)

This leave may be used by every service member.

• It is not granted all at once – it is divided into parts throughout the year. At least one part must last at least 15 consecutive days

• No more than 30% of the unit’s personnel may be on leave at the same time so that the unit remains combat-ready

• Up to two days of travel time may be added before and after the leave

• During this leave, the service member receives full monetary compensation, except for the additional payments, meaning approximately UAH 20,000

Leave for Family Circumstances

This leave may be granted in the following situations:

• Marriage – up to 10 calendar days

• Serious illness or death of close relatives (including in-laws) – up to 7 calendar days, not including travel time

Death or serious illness of other relatives – up to 3 calendar days, not including travel time

• Fire or other natural disaster affecting the service member’s family – up to 15 calendar days, not including travel time

• Other exceptional cases where the presence of the service member in the family is necessary, by decision of the military unit commander (head) – up to 3 calendar days, not including travel time

This leave may be granted once during a calendar year.

Up to two days of travel time may be added before and after the leave

Full monetary compensation (approximately UAH 20,000) is preserved, except for the additional payments.

Although the law allows, for example, 15 days in the case of a natural disaster, during martial law, the overall maximum for leave due to family circumstances is 10 calendar days.

Sick Leave

This leave is granted only by doctors, specifically by a Military Medical Commission (MMC). This is not the same as a standard medical record from a healthcare facility. The decision is made not by a single doctor but by a medical board, which evaluates the service member’s health condition and determines the exact number of leave days. The commander must carry out the commission’s decision without altering the number of days indicated.

• Leave for treatment due to illness is granted for 30 calendar days

• Based on medical indications following injuries (wounds, post-concussion syndrome) or surgical treatment, leave may be granted for 30 or 60 calendar days

• This leave may be extended again for 30 calendar days, and in some cases for 45 or 60 days

Full monetary compensation is preserved. The UAH 100,000 additional payment is also paid if the injury was severe and sustained directly in combat, proportionally to the number of days spent on such leave. These criteria are determined by special certificates and official documents.

Leave for veterans (combatants and persons with disabilities resulting from the war)

This type of leave may be granted to service members only after they have been awarded the status of a combatant or a person with a disability resulting from the war, and it requires mandatory approval by the military unit commander during martial law. The total duration of this leave is 14 days with full monetary remuneration retained.

Types of leave