On 14 May 2025, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted Law No. 4434-IX, amending paragraph 19 of the “Final and Transitional Provisions” of the Civil Code of Ukraine regarding the resumption of the statute of limitations.
The relevant paragraph was added to the Final and Transitional Provisions of the Civil Code in March 2022, following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia. It provided that during the period of martial law in Ukraine, the running of the statute of limitations would be suspended for the duration of such martial law. The newly adopted law excludes this provision from the Civil Code.
The law has been submitted to the President of Ukraine for signature and, if signed, will enter into force three months after the day following its official publication.
It is worth noting that prior to the suspension of the statute of limitations due to martial law, its running had already been suspended from 2 April 2020 due to the quarantine introduced in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that the quarantine ended on 30 June 2023 — i.e., during the ongoing martial law — the statute of limitations in Ukraine has effectively been suspended for over 5 consecutive years.
This means that even now, Ukrainian courts may accept and consider claims for which the general three-year limitation period began as early as spring 2017 and adjudicate disputes that are already over eight years old.
Importantly, if Law No. 4434-IX enters into force, the statute of limitations will not restart from the beginning but will continue running taking into account the time that had already elapsed before the suspension.
Therefore, the resumption of the statute of limitations will require businesses and individuals to review whether any of their claims are approaching the limitation deadline and, if necessary, to file them in court. Otherwise, the expiration of the limitation period may serve as a ground for denial of the claim.
By Gleb Bialyi, Partner, and Dmytro Monastyrskyi, Senior Associate, Asters
