The use of russian software in Ukraine will be prohibited at the legislative level

October 2025

Ukraine is confidently moving towards a complete ban on the use of russian software “hostile software products” in the Ukrainian business space.

On July 18, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine registered the “Draft Law on the Prohibition of the Use and Distribution of Hostile Software Products and Hostile Information Means” No. 13505.

On October 21, 2025, the Committee on Digital Transformation recommended that the Verkhovna Rada adopt as a basis the draft law on the prohibition of the use and distribution of hostile software products and hostile information means. The members of the Committee, supporting such a legislative initiative, recommended that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, following the results of consideration in the first reading, adopt this draft act as a basis.

On October 23, 2025, the Resolution on Draft Law No. 13505/P “On the Prohibition of the Use and Distribution of Hostile Software Products and Hostile Information Means” was published on the website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The document is aimed at increasing the level of cybersecurity and protecting the information space of Ukraine from the technological influence of the aggressor state.

The adoption of the draft Law of Ukraine “On the Prohibition of the Use and Distribution of Hostile Software Products and Hostile Information Means” is due to the need to establish legislative regulation of the possibility of introducing a ban on the use and distribution of software products and information means, the use of which may pose a threat to the national security of Ukraine.

The main provisions of the Law will enter into force 6 months from the date of publication, the sanction block – from January 1, 2030.

For violation of the Law, the application of financial sanctions is envisaged:

1. in the form of a fine – 2% of the total annual turnover of such a business entity, but not less than the income from such sales and / or distribution or use.
2. the detection of two or more violations of the requirements of this Law increases the financial sanctions by the number of violations detected.

The law defines the concepts of “hostile software product” and “hostile means of information technology” and the criteria by which software can be classified as “hostile” (for example, by the origin of the developer or owner, membership in sanctions lists, etc.).

The relevant lists of prohibited programs and equipment will be approved by the Government, and the State Service for Special Communications will be responsible for maintaining such lists. Access to the information contained in the list will be free of charge, and the list itself will be published on the official website of the State Service for Special Communications and the Unified State Web Portal of Open Data. This ensures transparency, increases the level of cyber protection, and promotes the safe use of digital technologies in Ukraine.

The SBU and the National Bank will have the right to submit proposals for the inclusion or exclusion of programs from the list of prohibited programs in accordance with their areas of competence.

The Ukrainian initiative is in line with global trends in ensuring digital sovereignty. Similar measures are already being implemented by various countries around the world, including restrictions on the use of software from countries that pose a threat to national security.

The Ukrainian bill demonstrates the country’s desire to integrate into European digital security standards.

That is, Ukrainian enterprises will have a transition period until January 1, 2030, to completely phase out the use of russian software products. This period gives companies enough time to find alternative solutions and make a systematic migration to other software.

Innoware, a consulting company with over twenty years of experience in implementing ERP and CRM systems, urges owners and managers of Ukrainian enterprises that still use software products of russian origin, in particular 1C/BAS: do not wait and as soon as possible plan and start a project to replace russian software with secure and modern ERP and CRM solutions from Microsoft.

To choose a system, calculate the cost of a transition project specifically for your company, contact us by phone +38 044 490 22 20 (UA) or +1(302)4672024 (US) or write to info@innoware.com.