Lawmakers in Ukraine have proposed legalizing pornography to raise funds

[Text/Observer Network Liu Chenghui] What to do if you don't have money for war? A Ukrainian MP has set his sights on a field nominally banned by current laws—pornography.

According to Ukraine's current laws, the production, distribution, and even possession of pornographic materials are illegal within its territory. However, with the prolonged conflict between Russia and Ukraine leading to continuous financial strain, Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak previously proposed a bill attempting to legalize pornography, aiming to address fiscal revenue issues by taxing the relevant industry. Analysts estimate that legalizing pornography would bring Ukraine an additional $12.3 million in annual tax revenue, enough to purchase 24,000 FPV drones.

However, this bill has sparked intense division among MPs, government officials, adult content creators, and the public, involving controversies regarding wartime moral values, law, and priorities.

Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak Social Media

According to a report by The New York Times on April 15, under Article 301 of the Ukrainian Penal Code, the creation, distribution, and even possession of pornographic materials are illegal and can result in sentences of three to five years in prison. This law inherited from Soviet times is stricter than those of many European countries, the United States, and even Russia. It also bans adults from privately exchanging nude images, even voluntarily.

However, ironically, the Ukrainian Tax Authority has actually been taxing content creators on adult platforms like OnlyFans.

After data disclosed by the Ukrainian Tax Authority in late 2024 drew widespread attention, the bill to amend Article 301 began to accelerate.

Danylo Hetmantsev, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) Committee on Finance, Taxation, and Customs Policy, then revealed that hundreds of adult content creators had declared substantial incomes. Some creators earned millions of dollars through OnlyFans, with one earning $4 million and another $3 million.

Yaroslav Zhelezniak, Vice-Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Finance Committee, believed it was necessary to resolve this contradiction.

Last November, he submitted a draft law aimed at legalizing pornography.

"This is absurd, especially during a full-scale war." According to Zhelezniak's description, many adult content creators are currently paying taxes for activities still considered criminal by the state. He felt this situation not only undermines the consistency of the law but also fosters corruption and wastes enforcement resources.

He explained at the time: "In short, we are just amending Article 301 of the Penal Code to ensure that adults will no longer be sentenced to three to five years in prison for creating and distributing private videos."

This bill was co-sponsored by 26 MPs (including members of President Zelenskyy's party) and received support from the Verkhovna Rada Law Enforcement Committee in December 2024 (11 votes in favor, 2 abstentions), advancing further.

Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the Ukrainian opposition, strongly criticized the motives behind the bill. She stated in parliament: "What are you doing? Get started living and working for Ukraine and its people."

Ivan Vyshivsky, head of the Ukrainian National Police, also opposed revising the pornography laws, stating it would "have negative impacts on moral values."

Danylo Hetmantsev expressed support for the bill on the Telegram platform: "This is important funding for the country during wartime; we thank women for contributing responsibly to victory."

He added: "The hypocrisy of social condemnation while using these funds to support the army must end."

Data from the Ukrainian Tax Authority shows that from 2020 to 2022, Ukrainian creators earned a total of $123 million on OnlyFans. In the first half of 2023 alone, the platform contributed over 34 million hryvnias ($920,000) in VAT to the Ukrainian budget.

In late 2024, Ukraine collected more than 59 million hryvnias ($1.6 million) in taxes from 350 creators.

Dmytro Horiunov, economist at the Center for Economic Strategy in Europe, said that voluntary pornography production should not constitute a crime. "The production of goods and services that do not harm others should not be prohibited or prosecuted by law."

Analysts from the EU think tank BRDO Independent estimated that legalizing pornography could bring Ukraine an additional $12.3 million in annual tax revenue, enough to buy 24,000 FPV drones or cover the annual operating costs of Ukraine's anti-corruption court.

Beyond economic benefits, supporters of the reform also pointed out the corruption and abuse滋生in the underground pornography industry.

Ihor Samokhodskyi, head of BRDO's Information Technology Bureau, explained that the current legal framework has fostered a black market, enabling law enforcement officers to extort content producers and studios.

Zhelezniak once mentioned, "In thousands of cases, police not only demanded money but also asked for sexual services." He also noted that webcam studios were often forced to pay 'protection fees' to enforcement agencies to continue operating under threats of extortion or prosecution.

Ukrainian media have reported that many young girls have been arrested for harmless incidents, having to pay fines, while some police use such cases to solicit sexual bribes from suspects.

Nastasia Nasko, a 26-year-old girl from Belarus, supports the bill. She is the initiator of the "TerOnlyFans" project, which calls on people to sell personal risqué photos and naked pictures and donate all proceeds to the Ukrainian army.

Register for TerOnlyFans website

OnlyFans is a well-known British adult photo-sharing platform, and "Ter" is short for "territorial defense" (territorial defense).

Before the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Nasko lived in Kyiv. She previously introduced her "entrepreneurial" journey to the media. After the conflict broke out, in early March, she posted on Twitter asking if anyone could help her move a friend from Kharkiv, but received no replies.

So, at the age of 23, she jokingly suggested she would send nude photos to anyone who could help her. Within five minutes after sending the message, she received ten replies.

"When the full-scale invasion began, we were in Warsaw, and it was hard for us to accept that we were not in Ukraine and couldn't provide help or volunteer. Also, we didn't have much money to donate to Ukraine's defenders," she told Euronews.

"I think many people in the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada support the legalization of pornography. Unlike the Russian State Duma, which has many elderly, conservative, and traditional people, there are many progressive young politicians in the current Verkhovna Rada, and their numbers are increasing with each election cycle," Nasko said.

Despite resistance to passing the bill, Zhelezniak remains determined to push it forward. He said this month that he has secured 210 out of the 226 votes needed in parliament, expecting a vote soon.

"This is not a joke," he said.

This article is an exclusive contribution from the Observer Network and cannot be reproduced without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7495310086286492172/

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