Ruslan DZHALILOV: Will the Ukrainian military have their own housing?
Photo: galinfo.com.ua
In this publication, I want to raise an extremely urgent social issue today – providing servicemen with free housing.
As the famous saying goes: the main thing for the military is a reliable rear.
The greatest value of our life is close and dear people, the warmth of the family hearth, comfort in the house. The greatest happiness – when the whole family gathers at a big table at home, children’s laughter is heard. This is the most important goal and dream of our whole life!
The word “home” has a deep meaning for each of us. “At home” means among loving people. “At home” – it is where you always feel warm and safe, where you are always welcomed. You can feel “at home” only in your own home!
The issue of providing housing for servicemen and members of their families, including discharged, is regulated by current legislation and in particular the order of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine dated 31.07.2018 № 380 “On approval of the Instruction on providing housing for servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and their families”.
Soldiers have the right to receive military-provided or permanent housing. Permanent housing and one-time financial compensation can be obtained only in queue in the station in the presence of 20 years of military service. According to the current legislation, only those servicemen who are discharged due to health, reduction of staff and age are entitled to remain in the apartment queue.
Many servicemen mistakenly believe that having served in the military for 20 years or more and resigning from the army due to the expiration of their contract, they remain in the apartment queue. In such cases, they are removed from the queue. Although there are cases when, according to court decisions, they are still renewed on the housing register.
Determining the amount and providing financial compensation for housing is carried out in accordance with the Regulation of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of September 2, 2015 №728 “Some issues of housing for servicemen and other citizens.” Such compensation depends on the number of family members on the housing register, the minimal cost of housing, additional living space, and so on.
At the same time, the amount of financial compensation is deducted from the living space received from the state or directly from the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine by any member of the military family and the living space received during the free privatization of housing.
Certain categories of servicemen, in particular those with serious illnesses, researchers, members of journalists’ unions are also provided with additional living space.
Currently, only servicemen with 20 years of service or more have the right to receive permanent housing. For servicemen, who are provided with housing and serve in another station there is a financial compensation for renting housing for one person. Representatives of housing commissions of military units are responsible for keeping records, accepting housing records, deregistering them, etc.
The decision to transfer military-provided housing to a permanent one is made by the housing commission of the military unit, which is approved on the commission for control over the provision of housing for servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and is further approved by the Minister of Defence of Ukraine and only after that the final decision on change of the status of such housing is accepted by executive committee of city council.
Since 2019, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has been conducting an experiment to provide servicemen with military-provided (staff-post) housing. The decision to provide such housing is made by the Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine.
After the relevant decision is made, the representatives of the communal-operational department of the districts apply to the city council for granting this housing the status of military-provided. These apartments are transferred to military units for operational registration. Staff-post housing is housing that is not provided to the military, but is fixed by order of the unit commander for a specific position. The size of living space is not taken into account when receiving it. In the future, the unit commander enters into an agreement with the serviceman and an apartment transfer act of such an apartment is drawn up. At the same time, this does not give the military the right to register at the address of the apartment and privatize it. In the event of a change of position, even within one military unit, the serviceman must hand over the apartment with the statement of payment of rent to the unit commander.
In the event that a serviceman, who has been assigned a staff-post apartment by order of the unit commander, already has permanent or military-provided housing, such an apartment is temporarily provided by the unit commander to another unsecured serviceman.
Now let’s consider the financial side of this issue.
According to the Ministry of Defense, as of February 2020, about 48,000 servicemen were in line for housing. The rate of housing for servicemen is about 1.0 thousand apartments per year.
Simple arithmetic calculations show that a graduate of a military institution, a young officer with the military rank of “lieutenant” WILL RECEIVE SUCH A LONG-WAITED HOUSING IN 49 YEARS AT THE AGE OF 70.
It is outrageous! Please tell me, with what enthusiasm and love for the country will the military serve in such a prospect to have its own home?
We should all be ashamed that our homeland does not value its defenders, but literally mocks them.
Unfortunately, I did not find official statistics on how many servicemen are waiting in line for housing this year. There are also no statistics on the number of servicemen who have received free housing in recent years and what these categories are, indicating a lack of transparency in the Ministry of Defence in this area (the reasons for this secrecy are probably clear).
According to our information, servicemen who have been standing in line since 1992 are receiving housing in the city of Kyiv only now.
In fact, it is a catastrophe, everyone is silent, no one raises this issue and cries foul. According to the public opinion, this is an artificially created provocation aimed at undermining our country’s defence capabilities.
All those involved and currently making decisions on housing for servicemen and their families should be held liable.
For information, in accordance with the National Security Strategy and the Concept of Security and Defence Sector Development, the annual budget funding of the security and defence sector must be at least 5% of gross domestic product (GDP).
According to the State Budget of Ukraine for 2021, the army directly through the Ministry of Defence will receive only UAH 11.216 267 billion, which is UAH 381.999 million less than last year.
The rest will go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (UAH 85.835 607 billion), the Security Service of Ukraine (UAH 14.796 278 billion), the State Bureau of Investigation (UAH 2.484 078 billion) and other law enforcement agencies.
The main areas of use of the budget of the Ministry of Defence:
ensuring the activities of the Armed Forces, training of personnel and troops, medical support of personnel, military service veterans and members of their families, war veterans – UAH 88.146 061 billion;
development, purchase, modernization and repair of armaments, military equipment, means and equipment – UAH 22.703 508 billion;
utilization of ammunition, liquid components of rocket fuel, armaments, military equipment, means and equipment – UAH 2,515,237 billion;
construction (purchase) of housing for servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – UAH 1.194000 billion (amount at the level of expenditures of the previous year);
leadership and military management in the field of defence – 383, 466 million UAH.
In my opinion, the funds allocated from the state budget for the construction and purchase of housing for servicemen in a belligerent country, which today is Ukraine, ARE VERY LITTLE.
I believe that in order to provide housing for all servicemen, the defence budget should provide for at least 25% of the total amount for these purposes.
Public Association “Association of Manufacturers of Arms and Military Equipment of Ukraine” has its own strategy for housing construction for servicemen and, what is most important, capabilities. The Association includes a number of construction companies that have experience in this field and appropriate construction capacity.
We have prepared an appeal to the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine with a request to involve experts of the Association in solving such an extremely urgent social issue today – the construction of housing for servicemen.
It is known that private structures are more flexible in their activities, free of bureaucratic obstacles and more focused on the end result. I am convinced that the public-private partnership in this area and the increase in public funding is the key to success and providing all Ukrainian servicemen in need with their own housing in the next five years.
Our slogan:
“PROVIDE ALL MILITARY HOUSING IN FIVE YEARS!”
I am honored
Chairman of the Board
/ex-deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces/
Ruslan DZHALILOV