Ukraine's parliament approves new Civil Code draft in first reading
The Verkhovna Rada has approved a sweeping new draft Civil Code in its first reading, with 254 lawmakers voting in favour. Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk presented the draft in Chernivtsi, highlighting provisions on reproductive rights, the legal status of military personnel and veterans, and digital inheritance.
Key points
- 254 MPs voted in favour of the new Civil Code draft in its first reading.
- Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk presented the draft in Chernivtsi.
- The code introduces posthumous and wartime-specific legal rules, including lifetime preservation of phone numbers of fallen soldiers.
- It expands reproductive rights, including free cryopreservation for defenders and the first legal mechanism for inheriting biomaterial.
- It legalises digital inheritance: accounts, virtual assets and virtual digital currency.
- The 'Parliamentary Dialogue' initiative held discussions at 58 Ukrainian universities.
- The new code is set to take effect one year after martial law ends; no deadline has been set for the second reading.
Why it matters
The reform touches multiple areas of Ukrainian life — gender rights, reproductive medicine, the legal status of soldiers and veterans, and digital assets — and was developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence. Its war-specific provisions address concrete hardships faced by service members and their families, from preserving the phone numbers of the fallen to enabling posthumous use of biomaterial. Adoption in first reading by 254 MPs signals broad parliamentary backing for an overhaul that will enter into force only once martial law ends.
What happened
Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk presented a new draft Civil Code in Chernivtsi, and the parliament subsequently approved it in its first reading with 254 votes in favour. The draft was prepared jointly with the Ministry of Defence and the military. Its provisions include, for the first time, a distinct legal status for service members and veterans, covering declarations of death, recognition as missing, and testamentary arrangements for those on the frontline. It mandates the lifetime preservation of phone numbers of fallen soldiers to stop their resale after six months, introduces digital inheritance — accounts, virtual assets and virtual digital currency — and provides for deferred parenthood, allowing defenders to cryopreserve sperm or egg cells free of charge, with a provision for inheriting biomaterial if a spouse refuses. Reproductive technologies are to be applied on medical grounds and in other cases defined by law. Following public consultations, provisions that narrowed women's rights were removed, and no changes affecting the LGBT community are included. The draft was discussed under the 'Parliamentary Dialogue' initiative at 58 Ukrainian universities. No deadline has been set for the second reading; the new code is to take effect one year after martial law ends.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets frame the draft as a comprehensive domestic legal overhaul responsive to wartime realities. Coverage centres on the domestic legislative process, all three source articles being in Ukrainian, and emphasises inclusive provisions — expanded reproductive rights, the removal of provisions that had narrowed them, and war-sensitive issues such as preservation of fallen soldiers' phone numbers and posthumous reproduction rights.
Background
The draft was developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and military representatives. Public consultations led to the removal of earlier provisions that narrowed women's rights, and the code does not address the LGBT community. The 'Parliamentary Dialogue' initiative took the discussion to 58 universities across Ukraine.