Statute of Limitations to Resume in Ukraine: New Law Lifts Wartime Suspension

On 3 June 2025, the Law No. 4434-IX, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on 14 May, was officially published. This law repeals the general suspension of statute of limitations that had been in effect since the start of martial law. It will come into force on 4 September 2025.

The law eliminates paragraph 19 of the Transitional Provisions of the Civil Code of Ukraine, which had suspended the statute of limitations for the duration of martial law. From 4 September onwards, limitation periods will resume from the point at which they were paused in 2022, without any reset or recalculation.

This means that in cases where the limitation period had already begun before 24 February 2022 or was triggered during martial law, the clock will soon start running again. In many situations, the remaining time to file a claim may be extremely limited.

The suspension of procedural time limits was introduced as an exceptional measure to safeguard access to justice amid full-scale war. However, with the judiciary having resumed stable operation for some time, continued suspension of limitation periods now creates risks to legal certainty.

The adoption of the law is based on the following considerations:

• Restoring legal certainty and finality in civil disputes;
• Protecting potential defendants from claims based on distant past events;
• Aligning with Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time;
• Recognizing that individual extensions of limitation periods remain available under Article 267(5) of the Civil Code of Ukraine for persons genuinely unable to access the courts due to war-related circumstances (e.g., military service).

What to do in the next three months:

• Review any potential claims or disputes that may be affected by the resumption of limitation periods;
• Check the remaining limitation period, especially if it had already started before 2022;
• Act without delay to avoid missing the opportunity to bring a claim once the limitation period resumes.