Blocking of the Uniswap cryptocurrency exchange for Ukrainians has exacerbated the discussion on DeFi openness

The Ukrainian community of developers and supporters of decentralized finance (DeFi) has publicly spoken out against Uniswap Labs after users discovered that access to the exchange’s main web interface was blocked for IP addresses from Ukraine. The incident caused a wave of criticism in the DeFi community and questioned whether a decentralized financial system can remain truly open if its front ends are subject to the sanctioning requirements typical of the traditional financial world.

The problem was first publicly voiced by Ukrainian developer Artem Chistyakov (Arvolear), who contacted Uniswap Labs after he was unable to access the platform’s interface. According to him, Uniswap cited Ukraine’s presence on the OFAC sanctions list (the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control). However, Chistyakov emphasized that the document mentions only the temporarily occupied territories — Crimea, as well as the so-called «DPR» and «LPR» — while the rest of Ukraine, including Kyiv, is not subject to sanctions.

The developer noted that he first contacted Uniswap support (ticket #169 045), but after waiting for no results, he published an open letter demanding that the blocking be lifted. Subsequently, a petition «Restore Uniswap Access for Ukrainian Citizens» appeared on the Change.org platform, which has already received support from users and DeFi experts.

Critics point out that Uniswap Labs, which develops the popular interface for the Uniswap decentralized exchange, has exceeded the limits of the required compliance policy. After all, OFAC sanctions apply only to certain regions, not the entire country. Instead, the IP blocking applies to all users from Ukrainian addresses, effectively restricting access to one of the key DeFi tools.

Chistyakov emphasized that the problem is not the lack of alternatives: users can interact with the protocol directly through blockchain browsers, third-party interfaces, or VPNs. According to him, it is a matter of principle — of adhering to the idea of openness on which DeFi is built. «How can we talk about changing the global financial system if we are afraid to be free?» he wrote.

So far, Uniswap Labs has not released an official response, although the company has repeatedly defended its use of sanctions control tools. However, the situation has reignited a fundamental debate in DeFi: can a system that positions itself as «without permissions and censorship» remain so if its main access points are subject to political or corporate decisions?