On 8 December 2025, Draft Resolution No. 14279 ‘On the Declaration of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the occasion of Local Self-Government Day in Ukraine amid the ongoing armed aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine’ was registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

The document proposes to pass a Parliamentary Declaration – a political act that outlines the role of local self-government in wartime, records the crimes of the Russian Federation against local government officials and civilians, and appeals to the international community to strengthen its support for Ukrainian communities.

The initiators were the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, First Deputy Chairman Oleksandr Korniienko, Deputy Chairwoman Olena Kondratiuk, Member of Parliament Vitalii Bezgin, and others.

What is Parliament proposing?

The draft Resolution provides for the approval of a Declaration that sets out several key messages:

1. Gratitude and recognition of the role of local self-government in wartime

The document emphasises that, even after three years of full-scale invasion, communities remain the foundation of the country’s resilience.

Local councillors, community leaders, executive committee specialists, utility workers, experts, researchers and activists are the ones who keep communities afloat every day, providing basic services even under fire.

2. 2. The role of communities in countering the aggressor and supporting the livelihoods of territories

The Declaration particularly emphasises the importance of local self-government for:

• energy resilience;
• the uninterrupted operation of critical infrastructure;
• the restoration of territories affected by the war;
• the organisation of humanitarian support for the residents.

3. Continuation of decentralisation based on European principles

The Parliament proposes to confirm the course of strengthening the capacity of communities, developing international cooperation, and exchanging experience, all of which are part of the movement towards the EU.

On crimes committed by the russian federation against local government officials

The draft Declaration describes in detail systematic violations in the temporarily occupied territories:

• illegal detention of local government representatives;
• forced passportisation;
• deportation of civilians;
• persecution of journalists, activists and religious communities;
• suppression of local democracy and destruction of local government institutions.

As of the end of 2025, more than 50 local government officials remain in russian captivity.

A political assessment of these crimes at the parliamentary level should provide further grounds for international pressure to be applied to the aggressor state.

What is Parliament proposing to international partners?

The document contains a series of appeals addressed to the EU, the UN, the Council of Europe, and partner states:

• to strengthen political, financial, and legal support for Ukraine;
• to help communities rebuild critical infrastructure;
• to facilitate the release of detained civilians and prisoners of war;
• to support the return of illegally deported children;
• to strengthen mechanisms for documenting and bringing the russian federation to justice.

Why is this document necessary?

The explanatory note states that passing the Declaration should send a political message that Ukraine is continuing its democratic reforms, even during the war. It should also show that communities are full partners of the state in ensuring stability and recovery.

The document should contribute to:

• the consolidation of state institutions and communities;
• the mobilisation of international assistance;
• drawing the world’s attention to the human rights violations committed by the russian federation;
• the protection of the civilian population and the release of those detained illegally;
• the further strengthening of the capacity of local self-government.