A scandal has erupted within the walls of the Verkhovna Rada, exposing a deep rift between the letter of the law and the reality of the digital age. Deputies refused to support the bill on the decriminalization of the production and distribution of pornography, leaving the severe articles of the Criminal Code in force. Only five elected representatives voted against decriminalization, but that was enough to reject the initiative, which received only 207 votes against the required majority.
Medieval methods in the era of OnlyFans
The author of the bill could not restrain his emotions after the vote, comparing the position of the majority of deputies to the methods of the Inquisition. According to him, in 2026 Ukraine continues to maintain a practice where adults can be imprisoned for seven years for exchanging intimate photographs. Article 301 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which was proposed to be mitigated, provides for liability for the import, creation, and distribution of explicit materials.
However, the fight is not over. Chairman of the Finance Committee Danylo Hetmantsev has already announced a reconsideration of the issue at the next session. He called the current situation a manifestation of hypocrisy and promised to continue the fight against corruption schemes that thrive against the backdrop of the ban.
Paradox: the state bans but demands taxes
The situation in the adult content market in Ukraine has acquired absurd features. On the one hand, law enforcement agencies annually initiate about 1,500 criminal cases for the production of pornography. However, statistics show that most cases concern not organized business, but private individuals whose materials were discovered during searches or via messengers.
On the other hand, the state insists on taxing income from this activity. In 2023, Ukrainians earned more than $131 million on the OnlyFans platform. But due to the fear of criminal prosecution, citizens declare only 5% of their actual earnings. The rest of the money goes into the "shadow," depriving the country's budget of billions of hryvnias in taxes.
Corruption in the shadow of the ban
The paradox is that the ban breeds corruption. Recently, the Office of the Prosecutor General, with the support of the SBU, uncovered a large-scale scheme within the National Police. Law enforcement officers took bribes for "protecting" offices engaged in the distribution of adult content. As long as the law prohibits the activity, it remains in a gray zone where criminal ties and kickbacks thrive.