The Ukrainian Parliament, known as the Verkhovna Rada, recently voted against Bill No. 12191, which aimed to decriminalize the creation and distribution of pornography involving consenting adults. The vote saw 207 members in favor, falling short of the 226 votes required for approval.
As a result of the insufficient support, the bill will not proceed to a second reading and is considered rejected. This legislation had been introduced by a group of lawmakers in 2024, with the primary objective of removing criminal liability for adults engaging in consensual intimate content creation and sharing.
The proponents of the bill clarified that the initiative was not intended to legalize pornography but rather to decriminalize it, thereby preventing individuals from facing legal repercussions for possessing such content. However, the bill maintained criminal penalties for several serious offenses, including:
- Non-consensual pornography (such as revenge porn and deepfake content);
- Child pornography;
- Distribution of content to minors;
- Violent and extreme content;
- Human trafficking and pimping.
The discussion surrounding this bill gained momentum amid reports of arrests linked to a corruption scheme involving the oversight of so-called ‘porn offices.’ Recently, law enforcement conducted searches in the regional offices of the National Police of Ukraine in Ternopil, Zhytomyr, and Ivano-Frankivsk.
Investigators found that the leadership of local police departments may have facilitated the operations of these ‘porn offices.’ According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, a driver for one of the deputy ministers of internal affairs acted as a middleman in the scheme, negotiating with officials to ensure the offices could operate without interference.
During the searches, authorities seized six luxury vehicles, firearms, and over 22 million hryvnias in cash. Several arrests were made, and four police officials have been suspended from their duties.
The Ukrainian Parliament has rejected a bill aimed at decriminalizing adult pornography, which failed to secure enough votes. This decision comes amid ongoing investigations into corruption linked to the oversight of adult content operations.