Ukraine - July 2025

On 3 July, President Volodymr Zelenskyy signed a bill allowing dual citizenship into law. The move was part of a ten-part ‘resilience’ plan put forward by Zelenskyy in November 2024 to both strengthen Ukraine’s connections with its large diaspora and allow Ukrainian refugees and expatriates to naturalize in their countries of residence without necessitating renouncing their Ukrainian citizenship. The law would allow the over 5 million Ukrainian wartime refugees and estimated 20 million members of the preexisting diaspora to obtain citizenship in their country of residence without giving up their Ukrainian citizenship and right to vote. The law will also simplify and streamline the process of citizenship acquisition for ethnic Ukrainians abroad who may not have a direct relationship with the country.

Sources: Kyiv Independent, Interfax-Ukraine, UNHCR

The Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) overwhelmingly passed a law on 22 July that subordinated key functions of two anticorruption bodies to the prosecutor general, significantly undermining their independence. Domestic and international critics said the law was pushed by the President’s office as part of an effort to shield key allies of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from investigation. The law sparked the largest anti-government street protests and sharpest international criticism from allies since the full-scale Russian invasion began. On 31 July, the Rada, reportedly again acting on instructions from the President’s office, unanimously voted to repeal the law. While welcoming the law’s swift repeal, civil society and legal experts warned that concerns remain over the government’s commitment to anti-corruption and rule of law reforms, as well as parliament’s ability to oversee the executive or exercise its power independently.

Sources: Human Rights Watch, Novaya Gazeta Europe, Kyiv Independent (1), Kyiv Independent (2), Kyiv Independent (3)