Confirmation of non-receipt of a pension from the Russian Federation: what pensioners need to know

People of retirement age who have been forced to leave their homes due to the war often face many difficulties, from restoring documents to accessing medical and banking services. For most of them, their pension is their only stable source of income.

Since autumn 2025, some IDP pensioners have started receiving letters from the Pension Fund of Ukraine (in particular, from the PFU's main office in Donetsk Oblast). These letters explain that by 31 December 2025, you must confirm that you are not receiving a pension or insurance payments from the Russian Federation.

This rule was established by Resolution No. 299 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 11 February 2025. It defines how pensions are paid to internally displaced persons, residents of temporarily occupied territories and citizens living abroad.

Ways to сonfirm

The Pension Fund notes that this can be done in three ways:

• In person - by visiting any branch of the Pension Fund of Ukraine.
• Online - through the PFU Electronic Services Web Portal.
• Via video identification - if there is no possibility to visit in person.

If confirmation is not submitted, pension payments may be suspended from 1 January 2026. Therefore, it is crucial to address this in advance to avoid interruptions in payments and further complications with reinstating them.

If you cannot visit in person, you can use one of the two remote methods — through the online portal or via video identification.

Through the Pension Fund of Ukraine web portal

To do this, you need to:

1) Go to the PFU e-services web portal at - https://portal.pfu.gov.ua/.

2) Click ‘Login’ to access your personal account.

3) In the ‘Select AKCC’ field, select your Accredited Key Certification Centre.

• Add your electronic signature (QES) file.
• Enter the password you set when creating the QES.
• Click ‘Log in’.

Important! Make sure that ‘Individual’ is selected in the ‘Would you like to log in as’ field. If you do not have an electronic signature yet, see the instructions on how to create a QES.

4) In the upper right corner, select the ‘Remote notification’ option.

5) Check the box next to ‘I do not receive a pension in another country, in particular from the pension authorities of the Russian Federation,’ then click ‘Save.’

6) You can view the status of your request in the ‘My requests’ tab.

During video identification

Video identification is a remote method of confirming a person’s identity, during which a Pension Fund employee conducts a short video call with the pensioner (including via messaging apps).

This procedure is provided for by Resolution No. 299 of the Cabinet of Ministers. It is mandatory once a year - by 31 December of the current year - for the following categories:

• pensioners who have the status of internally displaced persons (IDPs);
• persons residing in temporarily occupied territories;
• Ukrainian citizens living abroad.

Additionally, video identification is required:

• upon the first appointment of a pension;
• if payments are being reinstated after suspension.

How to prepare for video identification

Before the call from a Pension Fund representative, prepare:

• identification documents (passport, pension certificate, etc.);
• information about the date and amount of your most recent pension or other payments;
• other information related to pension payments;
• make sure you have an internet connection in advance.

During the video identification, the PFU representative will ask you to confirm your identity, provide your personal data, and answer several simple questions. During the conversation, you need to state verbally that you do not receive a pension or insurance payments from the Russian Federation or any other foreign state.

Example of how to formulate the verbal statement

"I, [full name], confirm my identity (passport/pension certificate series and number) and declare that I do not receive a pension or insurance payments from the pension authorities of the Russian Federation or any other foreign state. Please take this information into account when deciding on the appointment (or renewal) of my pension payments in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine."

Tip: do not postpone the identification until the end of the year.If you do not complete it by 31 December 2025, your pension payments may be suspended from 1 January 2026.

If you still have questions or need legal assistance in preparing the statement or contacting the PFU, you can book an online consultation with an experienced lawyer.

This publication has been produced as part of a project implemented by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) with funding from the European Union through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the DRC. Neither the European Commission nor the DRC can be held responsible for the content of this material.