Fines Issued Under Ukraine's Advertising Law in 2025
In 2025, Ukrainian authorities levied fines totaling 67.2 million hryvnia (UAH) against 14 entities for breaching the country's advertising regulations. This crackdown reflects a broader effort to enforce stricter compliance in the digital space. The list of penalized parties includes ten bloggers, one Telegram channel owner, two website owners—specifically Finprom and Dev.ua—and one media outlet, 'Sport Today'. The fine amount is a fixed figure calculated based on a multiple of the minimum wage, equivalent to 600 times that wage.
The fine per violation was set at 4.8 million UAH in 2025 and will rise to 5.2 million UAH in 2026, as the minimum wage itself increases to 8,647 UAH next year. Notably, in early January 2025, two debt collection cases against blogger Karina Kuchmenko (Simbachka) for sums of 4.8 million UAH and 24,000 UAH appeared in the Unified Debtor Register, marking the first active enforcement proceedings listed. Previous entries in the register had also been made for the collection of fines from two other bloggers: Diana Levonivna Movsesian and Maksym Andriyovych Lavrynenko.
Official Commentary and Consequences
Hennadii Novikov, head of the state agency 'PlayCity', commented on the situation, stating that the agency's work is not based on a principle of 'fining for the sake of fines'. He announced that an online platform for filing complaints is currently being prepared for launch. Novikov acknowledged a potential short-term surge in reported violations but expressed confidence that their number would eventually decline to zero.
'We are very keen to bring order to the market and not have to return to this issue, and then merely maintain the established order.' - Hennadii Novikov
The entities subject to fines include several private entrepreneurs and companies. The list of violators comprises:
- FOP Lavrynenko M.A. (Trukha)
- FOP Bashynskyi Ye.V. (papa_elik)
- FOP Movsesian D.L. (xl.rusalochka.life)
- FOP Koretska D.A. (official_dori)
- Butsko O.R. (gilka_oleksandra)
- FOP Konstantynova V.V. (konstantynova_vladyslava)
- Romaniukha L.Yu. (lidia_roma)
- LLC 'Dev Ukraine'
- LLC 'Sport Today' (Tribuna)
These measures signal an intensification of oversight regarding advertising law compliance in Ukraine and the state's intent to regulate the advertising market to reduce violations. The introduction of new rules and substantial fines is likely to significantly influence the behavior of advertising entities, increasing their accountability for adhering to legal norms. The ultimate goal is to foster a more transparent and controlled advertising market where consumers receive reliable information that meets legislative requirements.