The Verkhovna Rada adopted law No. 6506-1 on June 10 on modernizing police salaries — 269 votes in favor. The document, registered before the full-scale invasion, had been sitting in parliament for three years. During that time, the average police officer's salary remained at 34,000–36,000 hryvnias — only thanks to temporary government bonuses of 10,000 hryvnias, not structural reform.

What the law changes

A police officer's base salary can now be no lower than 10 subsistence minimums for able-bodied persons, established on January 1 of the respective year. In 2026, the subsistence minimum is 3,328 hryvnias — meaning the minimum salary starts from 33,280 hryvnias. The norm takes effect in 2027.

In addition to the base salary, the law establishes a payment structure: allowance for special rank, service years supplement — up to 50% of salary, bonus — no more than 30%. Previously, all of this was regulated not by law, but by Cabinet resolutions, which could be changed at any moment.

"In the law of Ukraine on the National Police, there is no article protecting National Police employees regarding salary. This issue was regulated only by resolutions"

— People's Deputy Vyacheslav Medianyk, deputy chair of the committee on law enforcement

Why this matters — and why they waited three years

The problem is not new: the law "On the National Police" still lacked minimum financial guarantees — unlike the NABU, BEB, and SBU, where such norms are enshrined in law. This was directly cited as a reason for staff turnover from police. The bill was placed on the agenda several times, but was postponed — partly due to objections from the Ministry of Finance, which did not support the document.

According to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, even in 2025, salaries have not been indexed for years — the actual amount at the level of 34–36 thousand existed only due to one-time government bonuses, not a legally established minimum.

Who will not be affected by the new norm

The law provides an exception: cadets and students of specialized higher education institutions that train police officers are not subject to the minimum salary requirement. That is, future police officers remain outside guaranteed compensation during their studies.

The math and an open question

From 2027 onward, the subsistence minimum will almost certainly change — and with it, the minimum police salary will automatically change. This makes the norm more flexible than a fixed amount, but at the same time places budget burden in direct dependence on how the state indexes the subsistence minimum during wartime.

If the Ministry of Finance includes a real increase in the subsistence minimum in the 2027 budget, police officers will receive, for the first time, not a temporary bonus, but a legislatively protected base. If not — the norm will exist on paper, and the mechanism for enforcing compliance is not spelled out in the law.