Landmark Decisions

In September 2022, the Verkhovna Rada banned official broadcasting of parliamentary plenary sessions. At that time, 241 Members of Parliament voted in favor of the decision. The move was justified on security grounds.

Despite the ban, some MPs continued to broadcast sessions from the chamber and used this to grow their social media presence, while the official parliamentary channel “Rada” did not provide live coverage for three years.

Media outlets and civil society organizations repeatedly called on Parliament to restore transparency and resume live broadcasts. A joint statement supporting this demand was signed by more than 50 organizations.

Eventually, on 29 August 2025, a resolution was registered in Parliament to restore live broadcasting of plenary sessions. On 4 September, MPs supported it, with 266 votes in favor.

Bill information page on the website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

The law was adopted ahead of Independence Day. The Director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, Oleksandr Alfiorov, emphasized that the law is a priority for national security in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to him, it establishes the foundations of national memory, defines key crimes committed against Ukraine (including the Holodomor, political repressions, and Russia’s aggression), and forms a unified state policy on memory covering genocide, political repression, the war with Russia, and decolonization. It also aims to strengthen national resilience, protect society from Russian historical manipulation, and enhance the status of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory through a special legal framework.

The draft law was developed by the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy. Its initial authors include Members of Parliament Mykyta Poturayev, Yevheniia Kravchuk, and Mykola Kniazhytskyi.

Bill information page on the website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

A number of civil society organizations and media outlets supported this initiative aimed at increasing transparency in the work of the committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The project was also endorsed by international organizations engaged in the protection of journalists’ rights, including Reporters Without Borders, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, and the European Federation of Journalists.

Under conditions of full-scale invasion, some parliamentary committees have been operating in a closed format. Without sources within the law enforcement committee, it would not have become public knowledge that MP-turned-fugitive Artem Dmytruk participated in and voted during an online committee meeting—information that was later reported to the civic initiative Holka.

After the Parliament adopted the law in early 2025, 20 civil society organizations and media outlets called on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sign the adopted draft law. Among them were investigative media outlet Slidstvo.Info and the NGO ANTS.

Draft law No. 11410 was submitted by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in mid-2024. At that time, civil society and the media had been discussing the urgency of this issue for several years, given that a number of pro-Russian politicians held state awards. Citizens had collected nearly 27,000 signatures in a petition addressed to the President calling for the deprivation of pro-Russian MP Yurii Boiko of the title Hero of Ukraine back in late 2022.

It should be noted that a similar legislative initiative (No. 6163) had already been introduced by Members of Parliament in 2021, prior to the full-scale invasion. The lead author was MP Roman Lozynskyi (“Holos”). However, from a communications standpoint, it was the central government that ultimately presented the initiative as its own achievement. As a result, the presidential draft law was considered in the plenary chamber, incorporating the work previously developed under MP Lozynskyi’s bill.

he Law “On the Fundamental Principles of State Climate Policy” (No. 11310) was adopted by Members of Parliament in response to demands from leading environmental civil society organizations and European partners. It establishes a legal framework for the further development of Ukraine’s national climate policy. The document defines the responsibilities and powers of public authorities, as well as a list of secondary legislation that must be developed subsequently.

Importantly, the law introduces the principle of nature-based approaches as a priority: the preservation of natural ecosystems must be prioritized when making decisions aimed at achieving the objectives of state climate policy. This means that public authorities or local governments must not implement climate mitigation or adaptation measures that result in the destruction of natural ecosystems.

One year after its adoption, the European Commission, in its report, recognized this legal act as a significant achievement.

The law was supported by 284 Members of Parliament. In practice, almost all parliamentary factions and groups voted in favor of the bill. Abstentions were recorded from members of the “Batkivshchyna” faction.

Russia’s full-scale invasion triggered a clear demand within Ukrainian society to cleanse the symbolic landscape of cities and villages from all Russian imperial and Soviet-related references. According to a 2022 sociological survey by the “Rating” Group, three-quarters of Ukrainians support the removal of Russian and communist symbols.

The draft law was initially obstructed by MP Maksym Buzhanskyi, while the working group responsible for its revision was chaired by MP Roman Lozynskyi (“Holos”).

Eventually, the law was adopted. It establishes the legal framework for condemning Russian imperial policy in Ukraine, prohibits the promotion of its symbols, and defines the procedures for eliminating such symbolic references.

As a result of its implementation, more than 25,100 toponymic objects across Ukraine have been renamed, including streets, parks, squares, villages, cities, and districts. In addition, over 1,000 monuments and commemorative signs dedicated to Russian historical figures, perpetrators of violence against Ukraine, and those who served the Russian imperial system rather than the Ukrainian people have been dismantled.

The initiative was supported by a number of civil society organizations and movements, including the “Space of Freedom” volunteer movement, the Network for the Protection of National Interests “ANTS,” the World Congress of Ukrainians, and the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory.

Law recognizing Russia as a terrorist state and prohibiting the use of symbols associated with the Russian invasion. The political regime of the Russian Federation is recognized as Nazi in its essence and practice and is described as ideologically inheriting the National Socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regime.

The use of symbols associated with the military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Nazi totalitarian regime is prohibited, including the standalone use of the Latin letters “Z” and “V,” as well as the use of symbols of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and other military formations and state bodies.

Historical buildings play a fundamental role in shaping the traditional character of the historical environment, even though they have not been granted the status of cultural heritage objects. However, current legislation does not provide a definition of “historical buildings,” nor does it establish procedures for their registration or protection measures.

The authors of the draft propose significantly expanding the list of areas defined by construction regulations where local self-government bodies are allowed to take measures to protect buildings considered valuable by territorial communities.

At present, such protection mechanisms apply only to historical settlements (currently 401 settlements out of nearly 30,000) and to the territories and protection zones of cultural heritage sites.

If adopted, the draft law would extend this right to any community, regardless of the historical or cultural status of the territory.

The civic initiative Holka has analyzed the draft law and continues to monitor potential amendments that may be introduced in the second reading.

The draft resolution did not receive enough votes for adoption, falling short by fewer than 20 votes. Only 208 Members of Parliament voted in favor.

A few days later, an alternative resolution was submitted without the contested names, and it was supported by Parliament. However, the initial vote on the draft resolution remains politically significant, as it indicates which MPs did not support the measure viewed as part of national security policy.

During wartime, the process of derussification was expected to reach its final stage. The remaining task was the renaming of 333 settlements that still carried imperial or Soviet-era toponymic distortions. For this purpose, draft resolution No. 11188 was registered in Parliament.

The first three initiators were representatives of the “Servant of the People” faction, Olena Shuliak and Vitalii Bezgin, along with Romain Lozynskyi from the “Holos” faction.

The voting process was obstructed by a group of MPs informally referred to as the “Moscow Patriarchate” due to their pro-Russian positions. According to public criticism, MP Maksym Buzhanskyi and his allies opposed changes such as renaming Pavlohrad (linked to Tsar Paul I) to Matviiv, replacing Synelnykove (named after a Russian general) with Ridnopillia, renaming Yuzhnoukrainsk to Hrad, and changing Yuzhne to Port-Annenthal.

Civil society conducted an advocacy campaign in support of the resolution. The vote fell short by fewer than 20 votes, with only 208 MPs voting in favor. A revised resolution without the contested names was later adopted, but the original vote remains politically illustrative of parliamentary positions on decolonization and national security values.

The draft law allows the production of medical cannabis in Ukraine, which supports the recovery of wounded military personnel, assists cancer patients, and helps in the treatment of PTSD.

The adoption of the law was advocated by the NGO Patients of Ukraine.