Presentation of Bill No. 6598

On June 3, 2017, a press conference presenting bill No. 6598 was held at the UNIAN news agency in Kyiv, organized by the Association of Animal Protection Organizations of Ukraine and the Kyiv Ecological-Cultural Center.

The bill was registered in the Verkhovna Rada on June 21, 2017, and was authored by parliamentary deputies and animal welfare organizations. Key presenters included People’s Deputies Pavlo Dzyublyk and Ivan Rybak, AZOU President Asya Serpinska, and Kyiv Ecological-Cultural Center Director Volodymyr Boreyko.

The legislation aims to fundamentally redirect Ukraine’s ecological legislation toward protecting animals from cruelty. Key provisions include:

• Implementing EU animal protection conventions and directives into Ukrainian law
• Criminalizing animal cruelty propaganda with imprisonment up to 3 years (8 years with aggravating factors)
• Authorizing police to issue fines for animal abuse
• Prohibiting commercial photography with street animals
• Banning cruel training methods involving fire, starvation, or electric shock
• Mandating rest days for animals in dolphinariums, zoos, and circuses