Decriminalization of porn: what exactly do they want to allow in Ukraine?

A vote may take place in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the bill No. 12191, which proposes to decriminalize the creation and distribution of pornographic content between consenting adults. This is not about fully legalizing all such content, but about changing the approach to Art. 301 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The bill card on the parliament’s website confirms that the document concerns amendments to the Criminal Code regarding liability for importing, manufacturing, selling and distributing pornographic items.

Member of Parliament Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported that the document may be brought up for consideration on Thursday, May 21. According to him, the bill was submitted by him together with colleagues from the relevant law-enforcement committee and has been ready for consideration for about a year. Earlier, the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada approved bill No. 12191 as a basis.

MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak explained that the document is a compromise, and, he says, objections to it have already been removed.

“I remind you, this bill No. 12191 was submitted by me together with colleagues from the relevant law-enforcement Committee. It is fairly compromise-based and has been ready for consideration for about a year. All objections to it have been removed. There should be no political obstacles, it seems. But we do not know whether there are enough votes,” – wrote Yaroslav Zheleznyak.

The document proposes not to criminally punish adults for creating and distributing intimate content if it is consensual. At the same time, criminal liability should remain for content involving minors, materials without a person’s consent, violent content, deepfakes, as well as other prohibited forms. Ukrainian media reported such exceptions during the bill’s registration and consideration. Separately, Yaroslav Zheleznyak drew attention to a possible contradiction in the legislation. After adoption of rules on taxation of electronic platforms, a situation may arise in which the state would collect taxes from certain activities while simultaneously maintaining criminal liability for them.

The next session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 28, 2026. However, the final decision will depend on whether there are enough votes in parliament to support the bill.

Previously we wrote:

• One nude photo on a phone — almost UAH 19,000 fine
• VIP client: police officer visited an apartment with sex workers three times to document the crime
• Scandal in the National Police: top officials are suspected of covering up “porn offices”
• While the state fines for 18+ photos, OnlyFans brings billions outside the budget
• Hands off the underwear! Petition on intimate freedom is already halfway to the President