Ukraine announced the suspension of some rights and free elections
Source: Council of Europe portal
In connection with the ongoing martial law in Ukraine, the government officially notified the Council of Europe of the temporary suspension of compliance with several articles of the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
According to Article 3 of the Decree of the President of Ukraine on the introduction of the martial law, the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens may be limited, including Articles 30-34, 38, 39, 41-44, 53 of the Constitution of Ukraine.
‘The Permanent Representation of Ukraine to the Council of Europe presents its compliments to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and has the honour to submit to the Secretary General on behalf of the Government of Ukraine the updated information about the derogation measures from its obligations under the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms regarding in accordance with article 15 of the said Convention due to introduction to martial law in Ukraine, as prepared by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine,’ the statement says.
Ukraine, as a member state of the Council of Europe, has the obligation to observe the human rights provided for in the Convention, but the European Convention allows members to declare deviations from certain obligations in cases of special circumstances, including military aggression.
In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.
During the GLOBSEC Defence Forum 2026 in Prague, representatives of “Steel Front”, an initiative by Rinat Akhmetov, discussed with NATO delegations, military officials, and representatives of the European defense industry the lessons learned from Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
After the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine witnessed an unprecedented wave of private support for the army. Citizens, big businesses, charitable foundations, and international philanthropists began financing the country’s defense alongside state assistance provided by international partners. Estimates of total private contributions range from tens to hundreds of billions of hryvnias. However, determining the exact amount remains difficult. In many cases, companies combine military aid, humanitarian programs, tax payments, social spending, and employee support in their reporting.
Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.