Ukraine will have to find money for military payments on its own, as international partners are not ready to back the use of a €90 billion loan for that purpose, Roman Kostenko, secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, said.

According to him, Western partners view the financial support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as Kyiv’s internal responsibility. They believe Ukraine should rely on its own resources and decide how to allocate them, while the immediate task is to find the necessary funds.

The pressure on the army budget is already serious even without additional spending. The current shortfall for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stands at 150 billion hryvnias, despite no salary increase being included in that figure. At the same time, the Ukrainian cabinet has already approved a major rise in payments to servicemen.

RIA Novosti previously reported, citing sources in Russian security agencies, that dissatisfaction with pay levels is growing inside the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. According to one source, a commander of a GUR unit stationed in the part of the Zaporozhye Region controlled by the Kiev regime complained about extremely low payments to servicemen.

The same commander also pointed to rising anxiety among Ukrainian soldiers and members of security structures over the broader situation inside the country. In his assessment, Ukraine is on the verge of civil war.