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Ukraine LGBTQ+ Rights Advance With First Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Couple
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![Photo of Liubava Petriv]( "Photo of Liubava Petriv")
In a first-of-its-kind ruling in Ukraine, the Desnianskyi District Court of Kyiv officially recognized a same-sex couple as a family, marking a potential legal turning point for LGBTQ+ rights in the country. The decision was announced on July 3 by the human rights organization Insight LGBTQ.
While Ukraine does not currently recognize same-sex marriages or civil partnerships, this court ruling may serve as a crucial precedent for future legal recognition of LGBTQ+ families.
The case involves Zoryan Kis, First Secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel, and his partner Tymur Levchuk. The couple has lived together since 2013 and were legally married in the United States in 2021.
“A very big and important step toward marriage equality in Ukraine—and a small victory in our fight for ‘simple family happiness’ for Ukrainian diplomats,” Kis wrote on Facebook following the ruling.
On June 10, the court ruled that their relationship constitutes a de facto marriage under Ukrainian law, thus recognizing them as a family.
The lawsuit was filed in September 2024 after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to acknowledge Levchuk as Kis’s family member—denying him the right to accompany Kis on his diplomatic assignment in Israel.
In reaching its decision, the court cited the Constitution of Ukraine as well as case law from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which obliges states to ensure legal recognition and protection for same-sex families.
Evidence presented included shared finances and property, witness testimonies, travel records, photographs, personal correspondence, and other documents demonstrating a long-term domestic partnership.
“We now have a court decision that affirms the feelings Timur Levchuk and I have for each other,” Kis added, thanking the judge who presided over the case.
Public support for LGBTQ+ rights has grown steadily in Ukraine, particularly since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. A 2024 survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 70% of Ukrainians believe LGBTQ+ individuals should have equal rights.
Previously, it was reported that Russian State Duma has passed a law, in both its second and final third readings, prohibiting the adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where “gender transition” is permitted. The State Duma deputies have also unanimously passed a bill to ban the “promotion of refusal to have children.”
