Ivano-Frankivsk mayor: LGBT ideology harms Ukraine

Mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk Ruslan Martsynkiv. Photo: Martsynkiv's Facebook

Ivano-Frankivsk Mayor Ruslan Martsynkiv said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine that the LGBT movement and the childfree ideology are damaging the Ukrainian state. In his view, the promotion of such ideas during wartime contributes to critical depopulation and threatens the preservation of the nation.

Martsynkiv stressed that his criticism is directed not at specific individuals but at the ideology itself.

“We are not talking about a particular group of people,” he said. “We are talking about an ideology in which the concept of family is being redefined, and which does not lead to the birth of children or help reduce depopulation.”

The mayor argued that state institutions should focus on protecting traditional values and encouraging higher birth rates. He described the sharp decline in the number of newborns – both in frontline areas and in communities far from the fighting – as the greatest threat to the country’s future.

He added that, during wartime, movements such as childfree – in which people consciously choose not to become parents – should not be actively promoted in the media. According to Martsynkiv, the very survival of the state is at stake, and depopulation must not be allowed to reach an irreversible point.

Speaking about public events, the mayor took a more cautious stance, suggesting that they receive less publicity.

“This is something that, it seems to me, could be promoted less during martial law,” Ruslan Martsynkiv concluded.

As the UOJ reported, Ruslan Stefanchuk promised LGBT representatives that their rights would be taken into account in the new Civil Code.

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