Attachments: 3

The request was submitted to obtain official information on who is considered a national minority in Ukraine, what documents confirm belonging to such a minority, which authorities are authorized to issue such documents, and whether there is an approved standard form of confirmation.

In the response from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, there are no direct answers to these questions. Instead, general legislative provisions are cited, from which fundamental conclusions can be drawn about the essence of Ukraine’s legal framework.

First, the Ministry officially confirms that the state of Ukraine does not record or foresee any mechanism for fixing citizens’ ethnic affiliation. Nationality is not confirmed in the legal field either by documentation or institutional procedures. Belonging to a national minority is effectively based solely on self-identification, without a verification procedure, without a defined format, and without legal certification. This means that the Ukrainian state has abandoned any legal model of ethnic identification.

Second, the Ministry cites Article 1 of  ... Read more ⇢

Attachments: 1

The request was submitted in order to obtain official information on whether the Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine dated September 12, 1991, No. 1545-XII, “On the Procedure for the Temporary Application of Certain Legislative Acts of the USSR on the Territory of Ukraine,” is still in force.

This document was adopted during the transitional period, when Ukraine was only beginning to form its own legal system after the declaration of independence. However, already on March 13, 1992, Ukraine signed the Agreement on the Establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which explicitly states:

“We, the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation (RSFSR), and Ukraine — as the founding states of the USSR that signed the 1922 Union Treaty — declare that the USSR, as a subject of international law and geopolitical reality, ceases to exist.”

This gives rise to a logical question: can a resolution regulating the application of legislative acts of a state that no longer exists — the USSR — ... Read more ⇢

Attachments: 3

The response of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine fully reproduces the official position of the State Migration Service, confirming that Ukrainian legislation does not provide for the legal recording of a citizen’s nationality in any documents, including passports, birth certificates, and civil status records.

The Ministry explicitly states that there is no state accounting of ethnic affiliation and refers to the Constitution of Ukraine and international non-discrimination standards, thereby substituting them for the right to ethnic identity recognized by international law.

However, behind this formal “equality” lies a deliberate and legally codified mechanism for excluding the titular nation — ethnic Ukrainians — from the category of subjects of collective rights.

Law No. 1616-IX “On Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine” (2021) limits the recognition of collective rights exclusively to three groups — Crimean Tatars, Karaites, and Krymchaks — thereby deliberately excluding both the titular Ukrainian ethnocultural group and ... Read more ⇢

Attachments: 2

The request was submitted in order to obtain an official clarification regarding the following questions: who, in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine, has the authority to make amendments to the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine dated July 16, 1990, and which state authority or official holds the power to repeal or declare this Declaration invalid.

The purpose of the inquiry was to determine whether the Declaration is subject to revision following the entry into force of the Law of Ukraine No. 2215-IX “On the De-Sovietization of Ukrainian Legislation,” which is aimed at eliminating from the legal field any norms, terminology, or references originating from the Soviet period.

Special attention in the request was paid to the fact that the text of the 1990 Declaration repeatedly mentions the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukrainian SSR) in a positive c ... Read more ⇢

Attachments: 3

The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine provided an official response to an information request submitted in July 2024 concerning the legal grounds for holding individuals accountable for violating curfew restrictions during martial law.

The response states that neither the current Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses nor the Criminal Code of Ukraine provides for any liability for violating curfew. This means that, at the legislative level, there is no administrative or criminal provision establishing legal consequences for being outside during curfew hours.

Additionally, it is emphasized that state and local authorities, as well as their officials, are obligated to act strictly within the limits of their powers and in accordance with procedures defined by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine. This confirms that it is unlawful to impose sanctions on citizens based solely on orders from military command or local administrations if such measures are not grounded in specific legal provisions.

The statement that the Ministry of Justice refuses to classify the provided information as public and instead invokes the status of legal consultation further confirms that no established or codified legal norm exists. ... Read more ⇢

Attachments: 2

The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, in its official response from July 2025, confirmed that writing the words “Putin,” “Russia,” “RF,” or “Russian Federation” with a capital letter in the public sphere — including on social media or in official documents — does not constitute either an administrative or criminal offense.

The Ministry explicitly stated that current Ukrainian legislation does not provide for any legal liability for using these words with an initial capital letter. This means that any sanctions imposed on citizens on this basis cannot be considered lawful and must be subject to immediate legal challenge.

The inquiry was submitted against the backdrop of a large-scale internal campaign initiated by state authorities, officials, lawyers, and propagandist activists, who persistently promote the practice of writing “Russia,” “RF,” and “Putin” exclusively in lowercase letters.

This practice is publicly justified by the claim that an aggressor state does not deserve to be written with a capital letter. However, from a legal standpoint, such a position is not only professionally unsound but also deeply harmful. ... Read more ⇢

Attachments: 3

The request was submitted to obtain clarification on the meaning of the term “current version” (чинна редакція) of a normative legal act on the website zakon.rada.gov.ua.

The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, in its official response, confirmed that the resolution of the State Committee for the State of Emergency in the USSR dated August 19, 1991, No. 1, remains in force within the legal framework of Ukraine, holding the status of a “current version” (чинна редакція).

This means that the document, adopted by a body of the USSR, has not been repealed or annulled by Ukrainian authorities and is still considered an active normative legal act.

The Ministry’s explanation emphasized that the term “current version” refers to the valid text of a normative act, taking into account all official amendments and additions at the time of the request. In the case of this resolution, no changes have been made, and therefore, it continues to have legal effect in its original form.

 ... Read more ⇢

Attachments: 1

The request to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine was submitted in order to clarify the legal status of the law regulating military ranks in Ukraine. The basis for the request was Part Six of Article 92 of the Constitution of Ukraine, which explicitly states that military ranks, diplomatic ranks, and other special titles must be established exclusively by laws of Ukraine.

This means that the procedure for establishing such ranks cannot be regulated by decrees, resolutions, or internal orders of ministries — only by a law officially adopted by the Verkhovna Rada and duly promulgated.

In the official response from the Ministry of Justice dated August 7, 2025 (incoming ref. № ПІ-М-3264), it is stated that the so-called law “on military ranks” was not submitted for inclusion in the Unified State Register of Regulatory Legal Acts. According to the Instruction of the Ministry of Justice on the procedure for inclusion of regulatory legal acts (NPA) into the Register, approved by Order № 57/5 of June 26, 2002, such a procedure is mandatory for all laws that are subject to application. Therefore, the Ministry of Justice indicates the absence of the final registratio ... Read more ⇢

Attachments: 2

The response from the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, received as part of an official request, confirms that only three ethnocultural groups—Karaites, Krymchaks, and Crimean Tatars—have been recognized as indigenous peoples of Ukraine.

This selection is formally justified by the legal criterion that indigenous peoples must lack their own statehood outside Ukraine.

However, the core of the problem goes much deeper.

The issue is not that ethnic Ukrainians supposedly do not meet the legal definition of indigenous peoples due to having their own nation-state.

The issue is that neither they nor other autochthonous ethnocultural communities—such as the Boykos, Lemkos, Hutsuls, Volynians, Podolians, Slobozhans, Polissians, and others who have lived on Ukrainian land for centuries—have been granted any legal status whatsoever.

They are not recognized as indigenous, not protected as national minorities, and not acknowledged as a collective subject with the right to self-determination or territorial ownership. ... Read more ⇢

Attachments: 1

The official response from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine dated May 30, 2025 (ref. No. PP-M-2162) confirms that the Law of Ukraine “On the State Tax Service” No. 509-XII of December 4, 1990, has lost its legal force. This repeal occurred within the framework of the administrative reform established by the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine and Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Improving Certain Provisions” No. 5083-VI dated July 5, 2012.

The relevant changes were officially entered into the Unified State Register of Regulatory Legal Acts on August 3, 2012, under registration code 62966/2012.

It is important to understand that the repeal of the 1990 law does not imply the cancellation of the tax system or exemption of citizens from their obligation to pay taxes. Since January 1, 2011, the Tax Code of Ukraine has been in effect, adopted by the Law of Ukraine “On the Tax Code of Ukraine” No. 2755-VI of December 2, 2010, which serves as the main regulatory act governing tax relations in the country.

In additi ... Read more ⇢

Attachments: 1

The official response from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine confirms that the Law of Ukraine “On the State Tax Service” No. 509-XII of December 4, 1990, has been repealed. This occurred as part of the administrative reform codified in the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine and Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on the Improvement of Certain Provisions” No. 5083-VI of July 5, 2012.

The corresponding changes were registered in the Unified State Register of Regulatory Legal Acts on August 3, 2012, under registration code 62966/2012.

However, the repeal of the aforementioned law does not mean the abolition of the tax system itself or the obligation of citizens to pay taxes.

Since January 1, 2011, the Tax Code of Ukraine has been in effect, adopted by the Law of Ukraine “On the Tax Code of Ukraine” No. 2755-VI of December 2, 2010. It has become the main legislative act regulating tax relations in the country.

The tax service has undergone multiple reorganizations. ... Read more ⇢

Attachments: 1

In the official reply issued by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, issued under the Law of Ukraine “On Access to Public Information” No. 2939-VI of January 13, 2011, explicitly states that no law establishing the Great State Emblem of Ukraine has been adopted. This means that, at the legislative level, neither its official status nor the procedure for its use has been legally defined.

At the same time, Article 20 of the Constitution of Ukraine clearly stipulates that the Great State Emblem of Ukraine must be established by a law adopted by no less than two-thirds of the constitutional composition of the Verkhovna Rada.

Such a law has never been enacted.

The only currently valid regulatory act concerning the state symbols of Ukraine remains the Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine “On the State Emblem of Ukraine” No. 2137-XII dated February 19, 1992, which approved only the Small State Emblem — a golden trident on a blue shield.

Although this resolution does not have the force of law, it continues to be applied and has not been repealed or replaced by another act. ... Read more ⇢

Attachments: 1

The official response from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine dated October 9, 2025, contains a critical clarification: Order No. 347 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, dated April 26, 2017 — which regulates the procedure for the production and issuance of service IDs to officers of the National Police — was never submitted for state registration and, accordingly, was never registered by the Ministry of Justice. This means that the mentioned normative legal act has no legal force.

According to current legislation — particularly the Regulation on State Registration of Normative Legal Acts, approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 731 dated December 28, 1992 — all acts issued by ministries and central executive authorities that affect the rights, freedoms, or responsibilities of citizens must undergo mandatory state registration. Without such registration, a normative legal act cannot be applied and is considered legally null and void.

Therefore, the police are currently using service IDs that were issued based on an order which lacks proper legal authority. These documents cannot be considered legitimate identification confirming state authority. ... Read more ⇢

Attachments: 2

The document presented above is an official response from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, which explains the legal nature of the preamble as a component of a normative legal act. The letter states that the preamble does not contain legal norms, does not have independent legal force, and cannot be regarded as a norm of direct effect.

The preamble is the introductory part of any law or constitution. It outlines general goals, historical context, motives, and value orientations on which the act is based. However, from a legal standpoint, the preamble does not contain enforceable legal norms. In contrast to the articles of a law, the preamble does not establish legal obligations, does not create rights, and cannot serve as a basis for court decisions or actions by state authorities.

The Ministry of Justice explicitly emphasizes that the preamble cannot carry legal norms, is not a source of direct legal effect, and does not have independent legal force.

What does this mean in practice?

In the Constitution of Ukraine, the preamble is the only place where the phrase “the people of Ukraine — the citizens of Ukraine of all nationalities” is mentioned. ... Read more ⇢

Attachments: 2

The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, in its official response issued in 2025, confirmed that the only place in the Constitution where the term “Ukrainian people” is explicitly defined is in the preamble. There, the “Ukrainian people” is described as “the citizens of Ukraine of all nationalities.”

However, the Ministry did not provide a clear legal definition of the term — instead, it referred to Article 5 of the Constitution, which mentions “the people” as the bearer of sovereignty but does not specify who exactly that entails. Moreover, the Ministry used the phrase “in our opinion,” thereby admitting that its conclusion is based solely on interpretation rather than on any clearly defined legal norm.

This reinforces the existence of legal uncertainty and competition in the interpretation of the concept of “people” within the Ukrainian legal system.

The key issue is that, according to Article 38 of the Law of Ukraine “On Law-Making Activity” (No. 3354-IX), the preamble of a legal act does not contain legal norms and has no binding legal force. ... Read more ⇢