How to Confirm That You Do Not Receive a Russian Pension
Ukrainian legislation expressly provides that citizens who reside in temporarily occupied territories (TOT) or who have relocated from those territories to areas under the control of the Government of Ukraine are entitled to receive a Ukrainian pension or other social insurance benefits only if they do not receive equivalent payments from the Russian Federation.
As a law firm specializing in pension matters, we frequently encounter situations where pension payments are suspended not because a person has lost the legal right to receive them, but because they failed to comply with a formal procedural requirement.
The key point is that the pensioner must personally confirm this fact. If such confirmation is not provided, pension payments may be suspended.
Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 126 dated 3 February 2026 introduced a transitional mechanism. If a person successfully completed physical identification during 2025–2026 but had not submitted a declaration confirming that they were not receiving pension payments from the Russian Federation as of 1 February 2026, their pension payments continued temporarily.
However, this declaration had to be submitted no later than 1 April 2026. Missing this deadline creates a real risk of suspension of pension payments.
How to submit the declaration correctly: there are several available options, depending on your individual circumstances.
The declaration may be submitted in the following ways:
- Online through your personal account on the Pension Fund of Ukraine's web portal using a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES);
- During video identification, where your statement is officially recorded by a Pension Fund representative;
- By postal mail by sending a free-form written declaration to the relevant regional office of the Pension Fund of Ukraine (particularly relevant for individuals residing abroad). In such cases, proof that the person is alive must also be enclosed;
- In person at a Pension Fund service center when applying for the granting, restoration, or continuation of pension payments.
Our recommendations:
- Do not delay submitting the declaration. After 1 April 2026, you may have to restore suspended pension payments instead of simply filing the required declaration.
- Keep evidence of submission (screenshots, postal receipts, or proof of mailing with an inventory of enclosed documents).
- In complex situations (such as residence in temporarily occupied territories, missing documents, or discrepancies in official records), it is advisable to develop a proper legal strategy immediately rather than waiting for an official refusal.
Even if your pension is currently being paid, the absence of the required declaration constitutes a formal legal ground for suspending future payments. Restoring pension payments usually requires additional applications and, in many cases, judicial proceedings.
If you have already encountered such a situation or have doubts about whether your documents have been properly prepared, it is advisable to assess the legal risks and determine the correct course of action as early as possible. This can save both time and money. We strongly recommend avoiding guesswork. In cases of this nature, the following are essential:
- proper legal assessment of your circumstances;
- collection and verification of supporting evidence;
- and, where necessary, preparation for court proceedings.
If you are facing this issue, we can review your case individually and recommend the most effective legal strategy.
Our lawyers have extensive experience in matters involving:
- pension applications;
- pension recalculations;
- appeals against decisions of the Pension Fund of Ukraine;
- transferring from one type of pension to another;
- and other pension-related disputes.
Professional legal assistance is not only the best way to ensure compliance with legal requirements but also an effective means of protecting your pension rights.
