Ukraine’s parliament has voted against a bill that would have decriminalised the creation and distribution of adult content, leaving existing laws unchanged.
The proposal, Draft Law No. 12191, sought to remove criminal penalties for adults producing and distributing consensual adult content. Under current Ukrainian law, those activities can still carry prison sentences of three to five years.
The bill received 207 votes in favour, falling just 19 votes short of the 226 required for passage. While the result means the legislation has failed, the vote highlighted significant support for reform within the country’s parliament.
It attracted widespread attention from creators and industry stakeholders, particularly after OnlyFans creator Svitlana Dvornikova launched a petition urging President Volodymyr Zelensky to support the measure. The petition gathered more than 25,000 signatures.
Supporters of the bill argued that many adult content creators are already paying taxes on their earnings while remaining at risk of criminal prosecution. Dvornikova previously stated that creators contribute significant tax revenue to the Ukrainian economy but continue to face legal uncertainty under existing legislation.
Advocates also argued that the current framework creates opportunities for corruption and inconsistent enforcement. Those concerns gained further attention following recent reports in Ukrainian media alleging that police officials accepted bribes in exchange for overlooking adult content production and distribution.
Although the legislation didn’t pass, the relatively close vote suggests the debate surrounding adult content regulation in Ukraine may not be over, with supporters likely to continue pushing for reform in the future.
