Zelenskyy signed the law on criminal liability for antisemitism
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Law No. 2037-IX (bill No. 5110) on April 14, 2026, which introduces criminal liability for antisemitism and amends Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine regarding the violation of citizens’ equality.
The law was passed by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on February 15, 2022 (295 votes). It establishes that antisemitism is a criminal offense. Such actions include manifestations of hostility toward Jews, antisemitic propaganda, Holocaust denial, as well as the desecration of Jewish monuments, buildings, and religious sites.
For basic violations, the law provides for a fine of 3,400–8,500 UAH, restriction of liberty for up to five years, or imprisonment for up to three years, with a possible ban on holding certain positions. In cases involving violence, threats, deception, actions by a group of persons, or by an official, the punishment increases to a fine or imprisonment for a term of two to five years. If the offense resulted in grave consequences or was committed by an organized group, imprisonment for five to eight years is stipulated.
The law does not prohibit criticism and applies only to actions directed against Jews as an ethnic or religious group. These norms finally integrate criminal liability for antisemitism into Ukrainian legislation more than four years after the law was passed by parliament.
