Pension Payments for Occupied Territories: Key Deadlines and Rules Through April 2026

Rules for Pension and Insurance Payments

According to Пенсії (RSS): The Ukrainian Pension Fund has outlined the conditions under which pensions and insurance payments will be made to individuals residing in temporarily occupied territories or who have moved to Ukrainian-controlled areas. A critical requirement is that recipients must not be receiving any pension payments from the Russian Federation's social security bodies. If an individual is receiving such payments from Russia, they are obligated to report this to their local office of the Ukrainian Pension Fund. This policy is part of Ukraine's effort to maintain social support for its citizens affected by the ongoing conflict.

According to the established procedure, the period from January 1, 2025, to February 1, 2026, is designated as the window for individuals to complete in-person identification. If, by February 1, 2026, no notification confirming the non-receipt of Russian payments has been submitted, payments to those who have been identified will continue until such a notification is received. However, the final deadline for extending these payments for this category of individuals cannot exceed April 1, 2026. These changes were formalized by Decree No. 126 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, dated February 3, 2026.

Purpose of the New Measures

The introduced changes to pension and social benefit payments aim to provide financial support to individuals facing hardship due to the occupation of their territories. A central component of this process is the identification requirement, which is designed to prevent instances of dual payments from the budgets of different states. It is anticipated that these measures will help pensioners who remain in occupied areas retain their social guarantees while allowing Ukraine to monitor and control payments from other nations.