President Volodymyr Zelensky signed draft law No. 13273 "On the principles of the state policy of the national memory of the Ukrainian people".
This became known from the project page on the Verkhovna Radaʼs website.
The law approves the name "War for Independence of Ukraine" for the Russian-Ukrainian war since February 19, 2014.
The document also defines the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance as the central body of executive power. This will ensure its proper funding and effective operation. It also defines the main principles, tasks and directions of the national memory policy.
The document introduces a number of new concepts into the legal field, including "war for the Independence of Ukraine", "national memory", "state policy of the national memory of the Ukrainian people".
At the legal level , the definition of the term "racism" was first established as a hybrid totalitarian ideology that combines elements of Russian chauvinism, imperialism, communist and Nazi practices.
The law stipulates that the restoration and preservation of national memory, the protection of the state language, and the preservation of cultural heritage are matters of national security. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine must develop and adopt a State Strategy for the Restoration and Preservation of the National Memory of the Ukrainian People.
The law also establishes rules for naming and renaming streets, squares, and institutions in accordance with the laws on de-communization and de-colonization. In particular, names adopted under the law cannot be changed for 10 years. Local councils must also remove symbols of Russian imperial policy from public spaces within six months of its adoption.
As a separate provision, the document recognizes as state awards of Ukraine the distinctions that were introduced by the UNR and the UGVR and were awarded to fighters for independence in the 20th century.
- The Verkhovna Rada adopted this draft law in second reading on August 21, 2025.
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