Ukraine aims to generate tax revenue for the war effort by legalising pornography
The proposal would move adult content creators from a criminalised sector into the tax system, while Parliament weighs a bill already past first reading.
Monday, 7 September 2026 10:30
Ukraine is considering legalising pornography to raise money for its war against Russia, with a bill that could bring in up to $25 million in tax revenue.
The proposal, backed by Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak, would bring the adult entertainment industry into the legal economy, NDTV reported, citing The Wall Street Journal. Zhelezniak, who chairs the Ukrainian Parliament’s finance committee, estimated the money could fund as many as 30,000 drones for the war effort.
Producing, possessing or distributing pornography is currently illegal in Ukraine and can carry a prison sentence of up to seven years. Ukrainian authorities have recently started seeking taxes from adult content creators, creating a legal conflict for people whose earnings come from work that remains criminalised.
“These women either don’t pay taxes and face criminal charges for that, or they pay taxes and get charged with violating pornography laws,” Zhelezniak said. “It’s a tragicomic situation.” Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, authorities largely looked the other way as the adult entertainment business continued to expand.
The Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s office recently uncovered cases in which officials in three regions allegedly received bribes of up to $20,000. Figures cited in the report said 7,900 Ukrainians earned more than $131 million through OnlyFans in 2023, based on data from its parent company, Fenix International.
OnlyFans creator Svitlana Dvornikova said police raided her home while she was preparing her daughter for school, seized $20,000 in cash, her laptop and hard drives, and offered her a chance to pay a bribe to make the case disappear. “They had a list of webcam models, and knew all their addresses,” she said. The bill co-authored by Zhelezniak passed its first reading in Parliament in July and is awaiting a second reading.
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