Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Law No. 5110, which strengthens liability for antisemitism. The document, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada back in 2022, had remained unsigned by the president ever since and spent about four years awaiting final approval.
The new provisions establish liability for incitement of hatred, insults, and discrimination on national or religious grounds. Depending on the severity of the offense, the punishment may include a fine, a ban on holding certain positions, or—in the gravest cases—a prison sentence of up to eight years.
The law introduces a clearer legal definition of antisemitism, which, as the explanatory materials noted, had previously been lacking in Ukrainian legislation. The authors of the initiative argued that this had made it harder for law enforcement agencies to classify crimes committed out of hatred toward Jews.
In the materials accompanying the bill, manifestations of antisemitism included, among other things, publicly accusing Jews of fictitious crimes, denying the Holocaust, desecrating monuments and burial sites, distributing antisemitic materials and symbols, as well as justifying the killing of people of Jewish nationality.
The signing of the law means these provisions now definitively take effect and become part of the country’s active legislation. Antisemitic acts in Ukraine will now carry not only political or social consequences, but criminal liability as well.