President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed Law No. 12089, which amends the Civil Code and strengthens the rights of good faith land purchasers.

This is reported on the parliament's official website.

According to the document, if more than 10 years have passed since the illegal expropriation of land, the state or community will no longer be able to reclaim these parcels. This particularly applies to forests, coastal strips, and other natural territories.

If a court decides to return the land within 10 years after expropriation, the state or community must compensate the new owner at market value. However, the law does not provide for compensation to the state or community.

There are exceptions: the law does not apply to strategic lands, critical infrastructure facilities, cultural heritage, and nature conservation areas. Nevertheless, activists point out gaps in the wording that may hinder their return.

"The proposed wording in the bill may complicate the return of property and land in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, although this was directly indicated by the main legal department of the Verkhovna Rada," activists from the "Chesno" movement noted.

Activists also emphasize that the boundaries of many nature conservation or historical lands have not yet been defined in the State Land Cadastre. This puts the state at risk of losing legal mechanisms for reclaiming such assets.

Also read: Echoes of the Mazeppa case: what lies behind the request to protect businesses from law enforcement agencies.

Reminder:

The Verkhovna Rada has adopted in full Law No. 12089, which establishes a ten-year period after which property (land or buildings) cannot be reclaimed from a good faith purchaser if it previously belonged to the state or was communal.