The concept of “hate speech” may be officially introduced in Ukraine: the authorities are preparing large-scale changes to anti-discrimination legislation

For the first time, an official definition of the concept of “hate speech” may appear in Ukrainian legislation, and the list of forms of discrimination is planned to be significantly expanded.

The relevant draft law on amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the Principles of Preventing and Combating Discrimination in Ukraine” has been published for public discussion. The document was developed to harmonize Ukrainian legislation with the standards of the European Union and the Council of Europe.

The draft law proposes to officially define “hate speech” as any statements that incite, promote, spread or justify hatred, discrimination, hostility or violence against an individual or group of people.

This refers to manifestations of hatred based on:

race;
skin color;
ethnic or social origin;
citizenship;
language;
sex;
gender identity;
sexual orientation;
age;
disability;
religious or political beliefs;
property status and other characteristics.

The authors of the document emphasize that currently Ukrainian legislation lacks a comprehensive mechanism for responding to cases of hate speech, which complicates prosecution for incitement to hatred and discrimination.

In addition, the draft law introduces new forms of discrimination.

In particular, it is proposed to establish the concept of “discrimination by association”. This refers to situations when a person is subjected to oppression not because of their own characteristics, but because of their connection with representatives of a certain social, ethnic or other group.

The law may also include the concept of “multiple discrimination” – when a person simultaneously faces discrimination on several grounds. Internally displaced women with disabilities or representatives of the Roma minority are cited as examples.

The document notes that the changes are necessary to fulfill Ukraine’s European integration obligations and bring the legislation into line with EU directives and the eIDAS regulation.

In addition, after the monitoring mission of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance in 2025, Ukraine was pointed out for the lack of a comprehensive approach to combating hate speech.

Separately, the authors of the draft law emphasize that a full-scale war, demographic changes, and growing social tension have increased the need for additional protection of vulnerable groups.

The draft law also provides for the update of Article 6 of the Law on the Prevention of Discrimination. The new wording proposes to directly prohibit new forms of discrimination by government bodies, local governments, officials, as well as individuals and legal entities.

It is expected that the adoption of the document will become the basis for creating a full-fledged system of responding to manifestations of discrimination and hate speech in Ukraine, and will also help bring Ukrainian legislation closer to European standards in the field of human rights.