Landmark Decisions

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.

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.

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 Verkhovna Rada supported legislative decisions aimed at restricting and banning the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), often referred to in public discourse as the “FSB in cassocks.”

The initiative was driven by national security considerations in the context of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine. It addressed concerns regarding the use of religious structures as instruments of influence and hybrid warfare by the Russian Federation.

The law provides legal mechanisms for limiting the operation of religious organizations affiliated with a state recognized as an aggressor, as well as procedures for terminating their activities in Ukraine.

The decision reflects a broader state policy of safeguarding national security, protecting information space, and preventing the use of religious institutions for hostile influence operations.

In 2023, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported a presidential draft law submitted by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to which May 8 is designated as the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II (1939–1945) (draft law No. 9278).

As a result, May 9, which had traditionally been marked as “Victory Day,” was transformed—following a presidential decree—into Europe Day.

The only MP who voted against the draft law was Maksym Buzhanskyi, whose Telegram channel has been described by critics as part of a pro-Kremlin network.

Several MPs did not participate in the vote, despite voting “in favor” on subsequent issues. These included Nestor Shufrych, Oleksandr Dubinskyi, Serhii Liovochkin, Oleksandr Koltunov, Vitalii Bort, Serhii Larin, and Serhii Dunaiev.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported the prohibition of pro-Russian political parties three months after the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The draft law was submitted by Members of Parliament in March 2022, with Olha Sovhyra as the lead author.

In the same year, more than 10 pro-Russian political parties were banned through court decisions, including OPZZh, the Opposition Bloc, “Nashi,” the Shariy Party, the Communist Party, and others.

On 16 February 2022, several weeks before the full-scale invasion, the parliamentary majority supported a government initiative (No. 0101) which denounced certain agreements concluded within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

On the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity, a group of Members of Parliament, including representatives of the “Holos” faction Oleksandra Ustinova, Serhii Rakhmanin, and Nataliia Pipa, submitted a parliamentary resolution recognizing the Revolution of Dignity as one of the key milestones of Ukrainian state-building.

The document also provided a political assessment of the regime of former President Viktor Yanukovych and emphasized the inadmissibility of delays in investigating Maidan-related cases.

Members of the OPZZh faction did not vote in favor of the resolution. Within the ruling party, MP Maksym Buzhanskyi voted against the initiative.