Photo from UNIAN
Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) participant status has been granted to more than 66,000 soldiers of the Ukrainian armed forces, Head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Communications and Press Department Oksana Havryliuk said at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
"The Defense Ministry's commission for considering citizens entitled to status of a participant in military operations has granted ATO participant status to nearly 5,000 soldiers and armed forces personnel this week," she said.
"As of today, ATO participant status has been granted to 66,454 soldiers and military personnel," Havryliuk said.
The Interior Ministry reported that ATO participant status had been granted to more than 39,000 law enforcement personnel as of July 25, 2015.
Soldiers with ATO participant status and members of their families are entitled to a number of social security benefits.