Changes to animal protection are being prepared in Ukraine - will punishment for cruelty become more effective
Kyiv • UNN
The ministry has established a working group to bring animal protection in line with EU standards. Only 5% of those convicted of cruelty received actual prison sentences.
The Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine has established a working group tasked with preparing proposals to strengthen the protection of animals from cruel treatment. In Ukraine, animal abuse is punishable by up to eight years in prison, yet only a handful of offenders receive actual prison sentences.
UNN found out what the authorities are proposing and what animal-rights advocates are demanding.
What the Ministry of Economy decided
The ministry announced the creation of the working group on October 26. It consists of about 30 participants and is headed by Deputy Minister of Economy and Environment Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi. The participants will identify problems and prepare proposals in the area of animal protection.
The issue concerns the protection of domestic, stray, and wild animals. The goal is to bring Ukrainian regulations closer to EU law and improve interaction between the authorities and the public
What the working group will focus on
The tasks include analyzing current legislation, preparing recommendations for its improvement, and reviewing the practice of responding to cruel treatment. They also plan to strengthen coordination between the police, local authorities, and animal-rights advocates, since even strict prohibitions do not protect animals when the police fail to respond to reports or collect evidence. It is not yet known whether the group will propose new sanctions or powers for oversight bodies.
Why the animal-protection system in Ukraine raises questions
According to estimates by Opendatabot based on prosecutor's office statistics, 386 proceedings under Article 299 of the Criminal Code were recorded in Ukraine from January to May 2025. This is 3.7 times more than during the same period in 2024. At the time of the study, approximately 80% of the cases had resulted in charges being brought, while about 4% had reached court.
UAnimals lawyer and analyst Anastasiia Hevchuk explained the increase in the number of registered cases as resulting from a more active stance by citizens.
This is not about an increase in violence, but about less silence
However, registering a case and punishing the perpetrator are different stages. In November 2025, NGL.media analyzed 148 guilty verdicts handed down after liability was strengthened in 2021. Actual imprisonment was imposed in only seven cases, or approximately 5%. In 129 cases, the convicted persons were released from serving their sentences on probation; in 11 cases, fines were imposed, and in one more case, community service was ordered.
What punishment for cruel treatment of animals is provided for by law
Under Article 89 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses, abuse that causes an animal pain or suffering but does not result in bodily injuries, mutilation, or death is punishable by a fine of 3,400 to 5,100 hryvnias. If the offense is repeated within a year, committed by a group of persons, or involves several animals, the fine ranges from 5,100 to 8,500 hryvnias. Administrative arrest for up to 15 days is also possible. If the owner poses a threat to the animal, confiscation is possible.
Article 299 of the Criminal Code establishes liability for cruel treatment of vertebrate animals under circumstances specified by law, in particular if the actions result in mutilation or death. The basic sanction is restriction of liberty for one to three years or imprisonment for two to three years. Such actions committed in the presence of children are punishable by three to five years in prison, while particular cruelty, repetition, or the commission of the crime by a group of persons carries a sentence of five to eight years.
European animal-protection rules: what is already in force and what still needs to be changed
Ukraine has already become a party to the Council of Europe's European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals: it entered into force for the country in 2014. In January 2026, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Bill No. 11328 at first reading. Among other things, it proposes clarifying the concepts of abandoning animals to their fate and proper conditions of keeping, as well as strengthening the role of communities in information and educational programs.
In August 2026, EU Regulation 2026/1818 on the welfare of dogs and cats and the ability to trace their origin entered into force. It establishes common requirements for breeders, shelters, the keeping, identification, and sale of animals. The main provisions will begin to apply in August 2028, while certain registration requirements will be introduced gradually at a later date.
What animal welfare advocates propose changing
The animal welfare organization UAnimals is already insisting on changes concerning stray and wild animals, the operating conditions of breeding facilities, the keeping of animals in captivity, and liability for cruelty. The law protects both domestic and stray animals equally.
UAnimals lawyer Alina Soroka emphasizes: photos and videos may constitute grounds for opening a case; however, for a person to be served with a notice of suspicion, there must be a body of material evidence. Therefore, the specialist advises witnesses to document the circumstances of the incident, record the contact details of eyewitnesses, and submit written statements to the police. This will help challenge possible inaction by law enforcement officers.
Some activists are calling for harsher sentences. In particular, at the beginning of 2026, the initiator of a petition to the government, Lyudmyla Tsaryova, advocated stricter criminal penalties, a ban on convicted individuals keeping animals, and a register of people punished for such crimes.
Stray animals in Ukraine and the challenges of war
The full-scale war has added evacuation, treatment of injured animals, and the search for foster homes and shelter places to the challenges of protecting animals. Because of hostilities and the evacuation of people, some animals are left without care.
According to a UAnimals report, in September 2026 alone, the organization evacuated 145 animals from 13 settlements in four regions, helped improve the conditions in which 550 animals were kept in shelters and rehabilitation centers, and sterilized 871 animals. Its team also contacted the police regarding 13 cases of possible cruel treatment. This is the data of just one organization.
For communities, sustainable programs for sterilizing, vaccinating, housing, and rehoming stray animals are particularly important. Rules are needed regarding the removal of animals, their transfer to shelters, and the financing of their care.
In addition, cases of cruel treatment of animals have increased because of internal migration and Ukrainians leaving for other countries. Within the country, animal owners leaving dangerous regions cannot find housing because landlords refuse to rent them apartments and houses. Even attempts to pay a large deposit and a willingness to compensate for material damage if it is caused by a pet do not help. Moreover, according to the OLX platform, where internally displaced persons most often try to search for housing, in some cities (such as Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, and Kryvyi Rih) there are no housing offers at all for pet owners. As a result, some owners leave their cats and dogs outside or even resort to killing the animal.
In situations involving leaving the country, matters are even more complicated. To legally take an animal out of the country, veterinary documents, a microchip, and valid vaccinations are required. All of this costs money and takes time (on average, from one month to several months). Far from everyone has the financial means and time to meet all the requirements. In addition, not all countries can accept people traveling with a pet. For example, red-eared turtles cannot be taken to France because the country's law prohibits it. Therefore, instead of looking for foster care or new owners for the animal, some people simply abandon it.
Animal protection in Ukraine: should we expect real changes
For now, the new working group has an advisory mandate: to prepare proposals that could become the basis for legislative decisions. The creation of the group itself does not change sanctions or owners' obligations. The transparency of its work will also matter: publicly available proposals will make it possible to assess which proposals officials supported and which were left without progress.
The result can be assessed by concrete steps: whether the amendment texts and timelines for their consideration will appear, whether the police and communities will receive clear response procedures, whether there will be more properly investigated cases and court decisions, and whether animal-keeping conditions will improve.
Let us remind you
Earlier, we told you how zoos protect animals during the war in Ukraine.