President Victor Yushchenko believes that the State Budget of 2010 should substantially increased financing for the Ministry of Defense, he said at the NSDC meeting, where among other issues the participants discussed draft State Budget 2010, particularly its articles related to national security and defense of Ukraine.
Addressing the Security Council members, Victor Yushchenko said that “critical amount of funding” should be determined so that next year “the Ministry would not face the situation it is in this year”.
The President emphasized that this year’s financing of Defense Ministry was so scarce that for the first time in last five years it was forced to reduce the number of contract soldiers.
Victor Yushchenko said that the wages of ordinary contract soldiers are 30% below average wages in, for example, the Crimea or Odesa. “With such financial support, no man who respects himself, apparently, would serve in the Ukrainian army by contract. This is humiliation for soldiers and officers, but most importantly – for our security and defense”, - he added.
