Legal System of Ukraine

Ukraine is located in Europe. It is geographically situated in eastern europe, bordering the black sea, between poland, belarus, romania, and moldova in the west and russia in the east. The country achieved independence on 24 august 1991 (from the soviet union); notable earlier dates: ca. 982 (volodymyr i consolidates kyivan rus); 1199 (principality (later kingdom) of ruthenia formed); 1648 (establishment of the cossack hetmanate); 22 january 1918 (from soviet russia). The capital is Kyiv (Kiev is the transliteration from Russian).

Government Overview

Government Type: semi-presidential republic Chief of State: President Volodymyr ZELENSKYY (since 20 May 2019) Head of Government: Prime Minister Yulia SVYRYDENKO (since 17 July 2025) Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, approved by the Verkhovna Rada Administrative Divisions: 24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast’), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities** (mista, singular - misto) with oblast status; Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol), Dnipropetrovsk (Dnipro), Donetsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad (Kropyvnytskyi), Kyiv**, Kyiv, Luhansk, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol**, Sumy, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Volyn (Lutsk), Zakarpattia (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr National Holiday: Independence Day, 24 August (1991) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Ukraine is described as civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: several previous; latest adopted and ratified 28 June 1996 Amendment Process: proposed by the president of Ukraine or by at least one third of the Supreme Council members; adoption requires simple majority vote by the Council and at least two-thirds majority vote in its next regular session; adoption of proposals relating to general constitutional principles, elections, and amendment procedures requires two-thirds majority vote by the Council and approval in a referendum; constitutional articles on personal rights and freedoms, national independence, and territorial integrity cannot be amended

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court of Ukraine or SCU (consists of 100 judges, organized into civil, criminal, commercial and administrative chambers, and a grand chamber); Constitutional Court (consists of 18 justices); High Anti-Corruption Court (consists of 39 judges, including 12 in the Appeals Chamber) Judge Selection: Supreme Court judges recommended by the High Qualification Commission of Judges (a 16-member state body responsible for judicial candidate testing and assessment and judicial administration), submitted to the High Council of Justice, a 21-member independent body of judicial officials; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; High Anti-Corruption Court judges are selected by the same process, with one addition – a majority of a combined High Qualification Commission of Judges and a 6-member Public Council of International Experts must vote in favor of potential judges in order to recommend their nomination to the High Council of Justice; Constitutional Court justices appointed - 6 each by the president, the Congress of Judges, and the Verkhovna Rada; judges serve 9-year nonrenewable terms Subordinate Courts: Courts of Appeal; district courts

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of unicameral Note: note 1: the next legislative election is expected to take place after the Russian-Ukrainian War ends

note 2: voting not held in Crimea and parts of two Russian-occupied eastern oblasts leaving 26 seats vacant; although this brings the total to 424 elected members (of 450 potential), article 83 of the constitution mandates that a parliamentary majority consists of 226 seats

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Ukraine Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which was the largest and most powerful state in Europe during the 10th and 11th centuries. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Ukraine based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.