The Supreme Court of Ukraine recognized for the first time a de facto marriage between two men, UNIAN reported, quoted by tsn.ua.
The men in question are Zoryan Kissa, first secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel, and Timur Levchuk, a social activist.
This was reported by the non-governmental organization Insight LGBTQ (NGO "Insight").
„Opponents of equality tried to interfere in the personal lives of two people and annul their victory. But the country's highest court gave a clear answer – a third-party organization that has no connection with the couple cannot simply come and annul decision concerning their family“, the NGO's social media page says.
The court rejected the cassation appeal of the public movement “All Together!“ and upheld the decision of the Desnyansky District Court of Kiev.
The decision of the magistrates did not go unnoticed by the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, who commented in her characteristically biting style on Telegram:
"The Kiev regime managed to give March 8 a new quasi-meaning. But Zelensky, of course, has fantastic prospects".
Kis Zoryan and Timur Levchuk have been living together since 2015, sharing a common household and budget. In 2021, the couple got married in the United States.
In June 2024, after Zoryan Kis was appointed first secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel, he tried to emigrate with his partner as a family member. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs then refused permission due to the definition of marriage in Ukrainian law as a union between a man and a woman. The couple then went to court.
In June 2025, the Desnyansky District Court of Kyiv recognized the couple as a de facto family. The “All Together!“ movement then filed a cassation appeal with the Supreme Court, citing a provision of its charter that opposed the legalization of same-sex marriage in Ukraine.
The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, noting that an organization that is not a party to the case and is not directly affected by the decision cannot appeal it. Thus, the decision of the lower court remained in force, confirming that the men are in a de facto marriage link.
The NGO „Insight“ reported that the Supreme Court's decision sets a precedent for protecting the privacy and rights of LGBTI+ people in Ukraine.
Zoryan Kis was born in Lviv. His father, Roman Kis, is a cultural scientist, philosopher, and poet.