Ukrainian authorities have officially blocked access to Polymarket, classifying the prediction market as an unlicensed gambling operator. The National Commission for State Regulation of Electronic Communications (NCEC) issued the ban under Resolution No. 695, mandating internet service providers (ISPs) to restrict access to the domain immediately.
The move freezes a major liquidity venue for war-related speculation. Polymarket had hosted over $270 million in completed wagers tied specifically to the Ukraine conflict, with another $140 million in open interest sitting in active markets like "Russia x Ukraine ceasefire by March 2026."
The ‘War Profit’ Trigger
While the NCEC cited a lack of local gambling licensure as the legal basis, the platform’s "war markets" likely accelerated the crackdown. Ukrainian officials have previously criticized the gamification of the conflict. Tensions peaked when the platform integrated data from DeepState, a Ukrainian open-source intelligence project, to settle bets on territorial occupation.
"The platform's domain has been added to the public registry of prohibited internet resources… providers are required to block access to sites facilitating unlicensed gambling," the regulator stated in the filing.
Uneven Enforcement
The blockade is currently porous. Users across Kyiv and Lviv reported inconsistent access Monday morning, suggesting ISPs are implementing the ban via DNS filtering rather than stricter IP-level blocks. This mirrors the fragmented enforcement seen in France's recent attempt to geo-block the platform.
Polymarket has not issued a statement regarding the ban. The platform has faced similar regulatory headwinds in the U.S., where it recently paid a $1.4 million fine to the CFTC to settle unregistered swaps charges.
