Ministry of Justice proposes to legalize same-sex unions, NGO reports

Court and the LGBT flag. Photo: unian.net

The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine has sent a letter to the Verkhovna Rada regarding the draft of the new Civil Code (№14394), which essentially establishes the political vector of the Cabinet of Ministers toward legalizing same-sex partnerships. The document, signed by acting Minister of Justice Liudmyla Suhak, proposes to conceptually reconsider the definition of marriage and family in the Ukrainian legal field.

According to the "All Together!" movement, the Ministry of Justice insists on changing Article 1474 of the draft code, which currently defines "actual family union" exclusively as cohabitation between a man and a woman. Ministry officials directly state that this approach requires revision to include same-sex couples. As an argument, the ministry uses the Supreme Court ruling of February 25, 2026, where judges for the first time in the country's history recognized the fact of cohabitation between two men as one family.

The government emphasizes that the Supreme Court's conclusions are binding for all subjects of governmental authority and proposes to enshrine this practice at the legislative level. Additionally, the Ministry of Justice links the necessity of recognizing LGBT unions with the ECHR decision in the case "Maymulakhin and Markov v. Ukraine." Suhak claims that Ukraine is obligated to create a regulatory framework for protecting same-sex couples' relationships, as this case is under "enhanced supervision" by the Council of Europe.

The legalization of partnerships is also being promoted as a necessary condition for European integration. The corresponding point has been included in the "Rule of Law Roadmap," which is a key prerequisite for opening official negotiations on Ukraine's EU membership.

Such initiatives contradict the Constitution, the Family Code, and the moral foundations of society. Experts point out that implementing a new model of family law poses a threat to national security amid the demographic crisis.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a court in Kharkiv refused to recognize two men as a family.

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