Almost all MPs from the Mykolaiv region supported the decriminalisation of pornography at first reading
-
- Alisa MelikadamianContributing Editor, Reporter
The Verkhovna Rada. Photo from Ruslan Stefanchuk’s Facebook pageOn Tuesday, 14 July, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed the first reading of a bill that increases penalties for the production and distribution of child pornography and decriminalises adult content.
According to the results of the roll-call vote, the decision was supported by almost all MPs from Mykolaiv, NikVesti reports.
The bill was supported by Davyd Arakhamiia, Ihor Nehulevskyi, Oleksandr Haidu, Maksym Dyrdin, Artem Chornomorov and Oleksandr Pasichnyi. Ihor Kopytin did not vote.
The bill stipulates that criminal liability will remain in place or be strengthened for the production and distribution of pornographic material involving children, its sale or distribution to minors, and for coercing any person into participating in the creation of pornography.
At the same time, the creation of pornographic content with the voluntary participation of adults and its distribution to an adult audience will no longer be considered a criminal offence.
Furthermore, the draft bill proposes to increase penalties for offences relating to child pornography — prison sentences are set to be increased by an average of two to three years. Penalties for coercing an adult into participating in the production of pornography will also be made more severe: instead of probation or restriction of liberty for up to three years, the bill provides for a prison sentence of between three and seven years.
The bill’s authors cite the fight against corruption as one of its aims. In their view, the current legislation creates conditions under which law enforcement officers can demand bribes from representatives of the pornography industry without bringing its activities to a halt.
Following its adoption at first reading, the bill will be finalised to incorporate amendments, after which the Verkhovna Rada will consider it at second reading.
MPs failed to pass a preliminary vote on the bill in May 2026.
As a reminder: nearly 1,500 criminal cases relating to adult pornography were opened in the first nine months of 2025. This is 13 per cent more than in the same period last year. The production and distribution of 18+ content is prohibited in Ukraine, but failure to pay tax on income derived from it is not.
