Section
Understanding Society
The institutions, economy and social trends behind the news.
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Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Bodies, and the Nine Days in July 2025 When Their Independence Wavered
Ukraine divides anti-corruption work among several bodies: prevention by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), prosecution by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), and trial by the High Anti-Corruption Court. A law of 22 July 2025 placed NABU and SAPO under the authority of the Prosecutor General; a law nine days later restored their independence. Drawing on the text of both laws and the European Commission's assessment, this article explains what changed and what challenges remain.
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The Blue-and-Yellow Flag, the Trident Coat of Arms, and an Anthem Whose Words Were Only Fixed in 2003
Article 20 of Ukraine's constitution establishes the flag, coat of arms, and anthem as state symbols. The blue-and-yellow flag and the trident coat of arms were fixed by decisions of the Verkhovna Rada in 1992, and while the anthem's music was approved in 1992, its lyrics were not fixed by law until 2003. This article explains the basis and origin of each, including how the trident traces back to coins minted in Kyivan Rus.
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Ukraine’s Official Population Estimate Has Been Frozen at January 1, 2022
The State Statistics Service of Ukraine's population estimate remains, at its most recent, the 41.17 million figure for January 1, 2022, before the full-scale invasion. Population figures since then come from sources with different scopes and different ways of counting — UN estimates and projections, and institute estimates cited in government strategy documents. A July 2024 estimate cited in a government document gives 31.1 million; a UN projection gives 39.68 million. This article explains why the figures differ so much, starting from their definitions.
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Customer Service in 18 Months, Local Newspapers in 5 Years: Ukraine’s Staggered State Language Law
Ukraine's State Language Law, adopted in 2019, did not take full effect all at once on the day it entered into force. Customer service in shops takes effect 18 months later, print newspapers 2.5 years and 5 years later, and the language of exams in 2030 — the timing is staggered field by field. This article also covers how the 2012 language law was found unconstitutional, the fine mechanism, and the treatment of minority languages, which drew criticism from Europe.
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Both Translate Literally as “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”: OCU, UOC, and the 2024 Law
Ukraine has two churches whose names both translate literally as "Orthodox Church of Ukraine": the OCU, granted independence from Constantinople in 2019, and the UOC, which has long belonged to the Moscow Patriarchate. This article traces the story from the 2018 decision revoking an 1686 letter to the proceedings against the UOC's Kyiv Metropolitanate under the 2024 law.
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124 of 129 Returned Prisoners of War Testify to Torture and Abuse: Prisoner Exchanges and International Humanitarian Law
Of 129 returned prisoners of war interviewed by the United Nations, 124 described torture or abuse suffered while in captivity. The Third Geneva Convention requires that prisoners of war always be treated humanely and be released without delay once hostilities end. The convention also provides that the ICRC may visit all prisoners of war, but the ICRC states that its last visit inside Russia was in 2024.
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The Arrest Warrant for President Putin Was Over the Removal of Children
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for President Putin and others. The charge was a war crime: the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia. In March 2026, a UN commission of inquiry concluded it amounted to a crime against humanity. This article lines up where the numbers come from and the frameworks for bringing the children back.
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What Martial Law in Ukraine Does, and Does Not, Stop
Martial law in Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, has been extended 20 times as of September 2026. The presidential decree permits restricting rights under 12 articles of the constitution, and the law lists measures such as curfews and bans on assembly. At the same time, the constitution lists rights — such as the right to life and to a fair trial — that cannot be restricted even under martial law. This article also covers the basis for restrictions on men leaving the country, and a 2025 amendment.
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Ukraine, Divided into 24 Oblasts, 136 Raions, and 1,469 Hromadas
Ukraine's local government is organized in three tiers: oblast, raion, and hromada (community). The current shape was set in 2020. In June, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the territories of hromadas across 24 oblasts, and in July the Verkhovna Rada reorganized the raions from 490 down to 136. This article looks at the count by oblast, how Crimea's 10 raions are treated, and even the list of wartime military administrations and occupied territories.
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Four and a Half Years After Applying to Join the EU, How Far Has Ukraine’s Negotiation Gone?
Ukraine applied to join the European Union on 28 February 2022 and became a candidate country that June. Accession negotiations formally opened in June 2024, and on 15 June 2026 the first negotiating cluster, “Fundamentals,” was opened. This article explains the mechanics of a negotiation organized into 33 chapters grouped into six clusters, and the stages still remaining.