A public petition to decriminalize online pornography in Ukraine has gathered more than 25,000 signatures, surpassing the threshold that requires an official response from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to the Kyiv Independent.

The petition was submitted on June 27 by Ukrainian OnlyFans model Svetlana Dvornikova, who has become a prominent voice for the country’s adult content creators. Within five days, the initiative collected at least 25,318 signatures on the government’s official petition platform.

Dvornikova criticized existing laws that criminalize the production and distribution of pornographic content, even though content creators like her are required to pay taxes on their earnings. “Over five years, I’ve paid more than UAH 40 million ($958,062) in taxes to the state,” she wrote. “But instead of gratitude for this money, the state opened a criminal case against me.”

She further argued that her financial contributions to the state could have supported the national defense effort, claiming her tax payments could be equated to “hundreds of Russians killed on the front” through military funding.

Currently, Ukraine criminalizes pornography under Article 301 of the Criminal Code, legislation influenced by the 1923 International Convention for the Suppression of the Circulation of and Traffic in Obscene Publications, as well as Soviet-era statutes. The law is broadly interpreted, and even possession of nude images can carry prison sentences of three to five years.

Despite the legal restrictions, adult content creators in Ukraine must declare earnings and pay both personal income and military taxes. In January 2025, OnlyFans creators in the country reportedly declared more than $7 million in income, contributing $1.5 million in taxes. From 2020 to 2022, an estimated 5,000 Ukrainians earned approximately $123 million from adult content platforms, according to MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak.

Zhelezniak, who has previously introduced bills to modernize pornography laws, said the current approach is outdated and counterproductive. “Porn today is mostly online platforms, and those who earn on these platforms officially pay taxes. That’s millions of dollars going to the armed forces,” he said.

His most recent proposal, registered in November 2024, seeks to amend Article 301 to decriminalize the creation and storage of pornographic content by consenting adults. It retains penalties for offenses such as child pornography, deepfake porn, revenge porn, and distribution to minors. The bill received support from the parliamentary law enforcement committee in December but has yet to be brought to a vote.

“We’re simply changing Article 301 so that adults who film and distribute intimate videos aren’t thrown in prison,” Zhelezniak wrote on Telegram.

Opposition remains strong among conservative and religious groups. The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations has condemned any move to legalize pornography, citing concerns over public morality.

A similar petition in 2022 also reached the required number of signatures but did not lead to legislative change. At the time, President Zelenskyy’s office responded by reaffirming the government’s stance on protecting societal values.