Supreme Court of Ukraine recognizes same-sex couple as de facto family for the first time

The Supreme Court of Ukraine has made a scandalous decision, recognizing for the first time the fact of actual marital relations between two men — the first secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel, Zoryan Kis and public activist Timur Levchuk. As PRM.UA reports, the court rejected the cassation appeal of the public organization «All at once!» and upheld the decision of the Desnyansky District Court of Kyiv, confirming that the couple can be considered a family, which creates a legal precedent.

Zoryan Kis and Timur Levchuk have been living together since 2015, leading a joint household and budget. In 2021, they officially married in the United States. The situation that led to the litigation arose in June 2024, when Zoryan Kis, who was appointed first secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel, attempted to travel to serve with his partner as a family member. However, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused, citing Ukrainian law, which defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

This refusal served as the basis for the appeal to the court. In June 2025, the Desnyansky District Court of Kyiv recognized the couple as a de facto family. After that, the public organization «All at once!» filed a cassation appeal to the Supreme Court of Ukraine, motivating its interest by the provisions of its own charter aimed at «preventing the legalization of same-sex marriages and partnerships.»

The Supreme Court rejected the appeal, stating that the decision cannot be challenged by a party not involved in the case and that cassation appeals cannot be filed by those not directly affected by the court’s decision. Thus, the lower court’s decision remained in force, confirming an actual marital relationship between the men without officially legalizing their marriage in Ukraine. «This is a colossal precedent,» said the NGO «Insight». — No homophobic or conservative organization will be able to use the courts as a tool to prosecute or overturn decisions in favor of LGBT+ people under the guise of «public morality.» The state has protected the limits of privacy.»

It is noted that Zoryan Kis was born in Lviv. His father, Roman Kis, was a famous cultural critic, philosopher and poet, who passed away in 2020 and buried in Lychakiv cemetery.

Earlier, MP Inna Sovsun warned of the potential danger for Ukraine to follow the undemocratic path of Georgia if the country does not immediately stand up for LGBT rights. According to her, the changes in the draft of the new Civil Code, which limit the concept of family only to different-sex couples, are a worrying sign that contradicts the requirements of the European Union.