EXPLAINED: Guns and Permits in Wartime Ukraine – Legally Getting Firearms in 2026

As a wave of shootings renews questions over gun access in Ukraine, here is a step-by-step explainer on who can legally buy firearms – and how easy or difficult the process is in 2026. Make us preferred on Google Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied (Illustrative image by Depositphotos) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google How difficult is it to get a gun in Ukraine? A recent wave of shootings across Ukraine has renewed debates on how strictly firearms are regulated and who can legally obtain them. Even during martial law, access to weapons remains tightly controlled and tied to specific legal categories and vetting procedures – yet gun violence has persisted. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . Here’s a look at recent incidents, the step-by-step process for legal ownership, and potential gaps in the system. On April 23, authorities detained a man who opened fire in a high-rise building in Lviv . He was later taken to a specialized hospital. Police said the shooter – a 34-year-old resident of the building – has mental health disorders. He fired shots inside his apartment using a recreational Flaubert revolver and threw the weapon out of the window when he saw officers approaching. No one was injured. But the Lviv incident is just one in a series of recent shootings. On April 22, a shooting occurred in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district after a quarrel between a driver and a pedestrian. One man was hospitalized with injuries. On April 18, a deadly shooting took place in Kyiv . An armed man opened fire, killing seven people . He barricaded himself inside a supermarket with hostages. Negotiations failed, and law enforcement officers neutralized the shooter. On April 19, police in Chernihiv detained a 23-year-old man after reports of gunfire. According to investigators, two intoxicated men were walking down the street when one fired several shots into the air from a starting pistol. No one was injured, and the weapon was confiscated. Other Topics of Interest Crisis in Ukraine-Israel Relations Looms as Second Vessel Carrying Ukraine’s ‘Stolen Grain’ Enters Haifa Ukraine’s foreign ministry has summoned Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky and is slated to issue an official protest note. Earlier, on April 16, a shooting incident occurred at a school in Transcarpathia, where a 9th-grade student fired a pistol during class, wounding a classmate. On April 23, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it thwarted a Russian attempt to orchestrate school shootings and bombings in Ukraine’s Kirovohrad and Odesa regions. Obtaining a weapon permit in Ukraine is a bureaucratic process regulated primarily by Order 622 of the interior ministry, though it has been partially simplified during martial law. Under Section II, Chapter 12, permits are generally available to Ukrainian citizens and permanent residents who meet several criteria: However, the application also requires photocopies of three pages from a Ukrainian passport, according to the Diia eGovernment portal , making it unclear whether a permanent resident can obtain a firearm permit. Police automatically check applicants through the Unified Register of Weapons and make a decision within 30 calendar days. A history of fines for violence or alcohol-related offenses reduces the chances of approval. Women obtain permits on equal terms with men. Military personnel and combat veterans benefit from a simplified procedure in which a military ID can replace some required documents, as stipulated in Clause 12.3 of the order. Civilian firearm ownerships have different age thresholds, according to Clause 12.1: Handguns are generally not available to civilians in Ukraine. The interior ministry introduced Order No. 170 (March 1, 2022), days after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion began, to fast-track approvals for hunting rifle permits and ammunition. Permits issued under this simplified procedure remain valid until martial law ends. Afterward, owners must either surrender the weapon within 10 days, re-register it under standard procedures, or sell it legally. Age requirements were not changed. A set of documents is required for the firearms purchase permit, and later, another permit is needed for storage and carry. “Owning a weapon is one thing. But you have the right to carry it only when hunting, or when transporting it for repair, training, or official procedures,” Ukrainian military veteran Vadym Feshchenko told Kyiv Post. Applicants need to go through medical examinations and mandatory training, then submit the certificates during the application. According to Clause 12.2 of Order No. 622, the required documents include: Feshchenko said the permit lasts for three years and requires renewal. Applicants must meet the conditions to obtain a permit to store the weapons, as set out in Clause 12.5. The decision is issued within 15 days. Required documents include: The application process is also explained in Diia’s guide . However, Clause 12.12 also stipulates the conditions in which the weapon is stored. “Weapons, ammunition for them, main parts of weapons, devices and cartridges for them, belonging to citizens, must be stored in metal boxes, safes, specially made for storing weapons, at their place of permanent residence or in places of temporary stay of the owners (summer houses, etc.) and which exclude free access to them by third parties,” the clause says. In practice, this means guns must be kept in a locked metal safe that meets the rules, and police can check it, but the law doesn’t clearly say exactly when or how those inspections happen. Some guns used in recent shootings did not require a license, which was concerning, but others were licensed firearms that required medical screening, which is arguably worse. Low-caliber, low-velocity firearms – such as the Flaubert revolver used in the Lviv shooting and the starter pistol used in Chernihiv – do not require a license. That said, Feshchenko noted that such firearms can still be lethal in close range, where they would still be classified as intentional homicide. But he added that any object can become a deadly weapon if used with intent at close range. The Kyiv shooting that killed seven, however, was committed using a licensed firearm, triggering widespread debates on current legislation. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s Office of the President, has opposed further easing of current legislation and suggested gaps in the system. “This has never worked and will not work now… There are always two sides – an imagined sense of protection, and a real increase in incidents like those we have seen in recent days,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Kyiv Security Forum, days after the shooting. Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine’s interior minister, vowed to investigate the clinic that issued the health certificate for the shooter. “Regarding his obtaining a weapons permit, he received a medical certificate to extend his weapons permit at a private clinic in December 2025. And of course, there are questions about this private clinic,” he said, according to state media Ukrinform . Andriy, a gun owner who requested to stay anonymous, said only a blood test was required and questioned the medical screening process based on his experience. “I contacted a clinic I found online. On the phone, I was told that the full package of services would cost Hr.1,600 [$36]. I came to the clinic expecting to see all the doctors, but I was met by a receptionist, to whom I gave my photos, documents, and money,” he told Kyiv Post. “After that, I was invited into a room for a blood test. The nurse unsuccessfully tried twice to draw blood from a vein, but then took blood from my finger and said that would be sufficient,” he added. Minutes later, he got his medical certificate – without meeting the doctor. “When I left the room, my certificate and a narcologist’s report were already waiting for me, all on official forms. It turned out that the narcologist had already managed to analyze my blood in those few seconds,” he continued. “Naturally, I didn’t see any other doctors. From what I could observe, apart from the receptionist and the nurse, there was no one else in the clinic.” Alisa is the Head of News and a correspondent at Kyiv Post, where she leads the newsroom’s coverage of breaking events and global developments.  With over seven years of experience in TV journalism, Alisa has reported on international and Ukrainian politics, making complex stories easier to understand. Back in September 2022, Alisa joined the Kyiv Post team. Julia is a Deputy Head of News and correspondent for Kyiv Post who has previously worked as a parliamentary editor, journalist, and news editor. She has specialized in covering the work of the Ukrainian parliament, government, and law enforcement agencies. Leo Chiu is a journalist and editor based in Eastern Europe since 2015. He has witnessed two presidential elections in Belarus and traveled widely to conflict zones and contested regions, producing reporting that bridges the gap between major developments and local realities.