Ukraine Could Grant Wartime Presidents Lifetime Protection Under New Bill

Ukrainian lawmakers have introduced a bill that would grant lifetime state protection to presidents who served during wartime and their families while extending protection to senior military, intelligence and security officials after they leave office.Bill No. 16009 was registered in parliament on Sept. 2 and is being considered by the Verkhovna Rada’s Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, according to official parliamentary records.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.The proposal would cover current and former members of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) who exercised their powers during a state of war or martial law.Eligible officials would include the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the chief of the General Staff, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the heads of the country’s foreign and military intelligence agencies and the interior minister.Roman Kostenko, secretary of the parliamentary national security committee and one of the bill’s sponsors, said officials involved in wartime decision-making remain targets for Russian intelligence services after leaving office.“The security of officials who made key decisions during the war directly affects the resilience of the state,” Kostenko told Ukrainska Pravda.“This bill is not about specific names. It is about preserving key state institutions and ensuring the continuity of their work.” Other Topics of Interest IMF Mission Starts Work in Kyiv as Ukraine Misses Some Summer Reform Deadlines Kyiv Post learned an IMF mission led by Gavin Gray began talks in Kyiv on Aug. 31 after Ukraine missed several reform deadlines due before the end of summer. Under the proposed legislation, former members of the supreme command staff and the NSDC would receive state protection in Ukraine for 10 years after leaving office. The provision would also cover former prime ministers and speakers of parliament who served during wartime.The protection would apply retroactively to eligible former officials who served during martial law. It would not cover anyone sentenced to imprisonment for a criminal offense.The bill would establish lifetime state protection for a president who served during wartime and the president’s family after the presidential term ended. The provision would not apply if the president were removed through impeachment.Family members of other eligible officials would receive protection while the official remained in office and for one year afterward.If a member of the supreme command staff or NSDC died violently, protection for the family would continue throughout martial law and for five years after it ended or was lifted.“It does not matter whether a person still holds office or has already stepped down,” Kostenko said.“The threat does not disappear the day after dismissal or the end of the war.”Russia looking to kill Ukrainian presidentsUkrainian authorities have reported repeated Russian assassination plots targeting the country’s political, military and intelligence leadership.In 2024, two colonels from Ukraine’s State Protection Department were detained for allegedly working with Russia’s Federal Security Service and plotting to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukrainian officials said the alleged targets also included then-military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov and SBU head Vasyl Malyuk.In June 2026, Ukrainian authorities said they had thwarted another Russian-backed plot to assassinate a senior military intelligence official using an FPV drone. Budanov has said he survived at least 10 attempts on his life.Kostenko said existing legislation had been drafted without accounting for the threats created by Russia’s full-scale war.“We have already seen both successful assassination attempts against Ukrainian officials and plots that Ukrainian special services managed to prevent,” he said.“The enemy must understand that Ukraine recognizes this threat and is systematically countering it.”The bill would also increase the authorized personnel strength of Ukraine’s State Protection Department from 2,993 to 5,500 employees.Kostenko said the proposal was intended to address security threats rather than create political privileges.The bill requires parliamentary approval and the president’s signature before becoming law. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.