Ukraine Paves the Way for Pirate Site Blocking, Despite Ongoing War

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

Ukraine Paves the Way for Pirate Site Blocking, Despite Ongoing War

https://torrentfreak.com/ukraine-paves-the-way-for-pirate-site-blocking-despite-ongoing-war/

Ukraine Moves Toward Pirate Site Blocking—Even Amid War

While Ukraine is busy defending its sovereignty, it’s quietly getting serious about online piracy—and taking cues from the EU to do it.

For years, Ukraine was labeled a piracy hotspot by U.S. and industry groups, landing it on the USTR’s “Special 301” watchlist. But with war raging since 2022, enforcement took a back seat—until now. In a 25-page update submitted for the 2026 report, Ukraine outlined sweeping copyright reforms, including a plan to adopt Article 8(3) of the EU Copyright Directive, paving the way for court-ordered blocking of infringing sites.

Here’s what stands out:

• 🛑 Site blocking, though framed around website operators and hosts rather than ISPs directly.
• 📜 Broader reforms aligning with EU norms—like 70-year copyright terms and better compensation for creators.
• 🎯 A parallel effort via WIPO ALERT, which blocks pirate sites’ ad revenue—and has already blacklisted 15 sites in 2025 alone.

Notably, Ukraine’s Clear Sky initiative has already blocked over 570 sites under national security grounds (mostly pro-Russian media), proving the technical and legal machinery can work.

The irony? The U.S., despite pressing others to act, still lacks federal site-blocking authority—even as new bills like Rep. Lofgren’s FADPA linger in committee.

Ukraine’s message is clear: We’re fighting two wars—one on the frontlines, one in cyberspace. And it’s winning both.