Ukraine weighing decriminalizing porn to generate tax revenue for war with Russia

Ukraine is looking to an unexpected revenue source to replenish its war coffers: porn.A second reading on a bill to decriminalize pornography is on the agenda for the current legislative session — which runs through February — after it passed a first reading in July with overwhelming support by a vote of 231-8.Ukraine is one of a small number of European countries where making or possessing any kind of porn is still a criminal offense — punishable by up to seven years in prison — along with Bulgaria, Iceland, Lithuania, Belarus and Russia.Decriminalizing Ukraine’s lucrative underground industry would generate an estimated $25 million in tax revenue, according to data from the country’s State Tax Service.That could help offset growing military expenses to fend off Moscow — and bridge a $27 billion budget gap, lawmakers have argued.“Ask yourself … who benefits,” Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a co-author of the bill in the Ukrainian parliament, said in a speech during the first reading of the bill.“Unfortunately, it’s not the Ukrainian state budget … all that money remains in the shadow economy.”Zhelezniak argued the funds would be enough to purchase 30,000 drones to help Ukraine as it enters its fifth year of the war against Russia strongman Vladimir Putin.The bill was born out of a petition filed last year by Svitlana Dvornikova — an OnlyFans star who boasts 1 million subscribers — after federal authorities asked her to pay $900,000 in taxes on her income in 2024 — only to later use it against the content creator to raid her home, seize her electronics and file criminal charges against her.The taxes she filed alone could pay for 100 new military pickup trucks or 2,000 drones, Dvornikova said.“We paid these taxes with one eye open, suspecting it might end badly,” she said in a phone interview, according to the Washington Post.“I wanted to support my country, give more money to the war, to our soldiers — we really thought this would con...