1. The law on criminal liability shall enter into force ten days after its official promulgation,
unless otherwise is provided in the law itself, but not prior to the day of its publication.
2. The criminality and punishability of an act shall be determined by such law on criminal
liability as was in effect at the time of commission of the act.
3. The time of commission of a criminal offense shall be the time in which a person
committed an act or omission provided for by the law on criminal liability.
Article 5. Retroactive effect of the law on criminal liability in time
1. The law on criminal liability, which repeals the criminality of an act or lenifies criminal
liability, shall be retroactive in time, that is it shall apply to persons who had committed
relevant acts before that law entered into force, including the persons serving their sentence or
those who have completed their sentence but have a conviction.
2. The law on criminal liability that criminalizes an act or increases criminal liability shall not
be retroactive in time.
3. The law on criminal liability, which partially lenifies and partially increases criminal
liability, shall be retroactive in time only in the part which lenifies the liability.
Article 6. The operation of the law on criminal liability in regard to offences committed
on the territory of Ukraine
1. Any person who has committed an offense on the territory of Ukraine shall be criminally
liable under this Code.
2. An offense shall be deemed to have been committed on the territory of Ukraine if it has
been initiated, continued, completed or discontinued on the territory of Ukraine.
3. An offense shall be deemed to have been committed on the territory of Ukraine if the
principal to such offense, or at least one of the accomplices, has acted on the territory of
Ukraine.
4. Where a diplomatic agent of a foreign state or another citizen who, under the laws of
Ukraine or international treaties the consent to the binding effect of which has been granted
by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is not criminally cognizable by a Ukrainian court
commits an offense on the territory of Ukraine, the issue of his criminal liability shall be
settled diplomatically.
Article 7. The operation of the law on criminal liability in regard to offenses committed
by citizens of Ukraine or stateless persons outside Ukraine
1. Citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons permanently residing in Ukraine, who have
committed offenses outside Ukraine, shall be criminally liable under this Code, unless
otherwise provided by the international treaties of Ukraine, the consent to the binding effect
of which has been granted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
2. Where the persons referred to in the first paragraph of this Article underwent criminal
punishment for the committed criminal offenses outside Ukraine, they shall not be criminally
liable for these criminal offenses in Ukraine.