OPORA and the Office of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Signed a Memorandum of Cooperation

On July 10, 2025, a group of people's deputies from the “Batkivshchyna” and “Servant of the People” factions registered draft law No. 13464, which provides for changes in the organization of the preparation and conduct of elections of people's deputies of Ukraine and local elections. Civil Network OPORA has prepared an analysis of this legislative initiative, assessing the potential consequences of the proposed changes.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has passed a law that changes the approach to citizenship by introducing the institution of multiple citizenship. This new development has raised a multitude of questions: who will be able to hold several IDs, how will the new law affect Ukrainians abroad and in the occupied territories, and what risks and benefits does it entail? Lawyers of the Civil Network OPORA have analysed the text of the law and prepared answers to the most common questions. Below, we will explain exactly what will change for both Ukrainian citizens and foreigners who seek to obtain a Ukrainian passport.

The full-scale Russian invasion caused a powerful surge of mechanical solidarity among Ukrainians. However, such a crisis-driven unity might be short-lived. Civil Network OPORA conducted a nationwide study on the social cohesion of Ukrainians and prepared quantitative and qualitative reports, as well as an analysis of how cohesion is reflected in social networks.

On June 25, 2025, President Zelenskyy, on behalf of Ukraine, signed an Agreement with the Council of Europe on the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine.

The Roadmap offers solutions and recommendations for the organization and conduct of democratic elections. It focuses on conducting security audits in communities, limiting Russian influence on the electoral process, updating the data in the State Voter Register, and introducing amendments to the Electoral Code. A separate challenge is ensuring both the active and passive electoral rights of Ukrainians abroad and of military personnel.

OPORA is happy to present the outcomes of the pilot for the upgraded methodology of security audit we ran in four Hromadas. The Hromadas have a different scale, security context, and the recovery levels but each of them was assessed under the unified method based on our tool. In addition, to make the data and results comparable, Civil Network OPORA created a dashboard. 

Security in Hromadas is a basic precondition to launch the electoral process. It goes beyond the physical safety. Security indicators shall be established in the law to make sure the decision to (non)conduct elections is as objective as possible. A decision-maker shall be named, too. These topics were discussed on May 21 at the meeting “Security as a Precondition for Post-War Elections: What Shall be a Mechanism for Responsible Decision-Making”.

Civil Network OPORA initiated a joint statement on the impossibility of holding democratic elections without the sustainable peace. In less than a day, more than 250 non-governmental organizations of the national and local levels signed this document. The signees include the specialized associations working on socio-political issues; human rights movements; communities of internally displaced persons, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups; regional organizations, and ambassadors of the Ukrainian position internationally.

“At one point even I bought into the idea that we are way too polarized and this is the wrong way to go”, said Olha Aivazovska during presentation of key findings of OPORA’s study “(Dis)connected: Polarization in Ukrainian Society” at the 13th annual Civil Society Development Forum.