The transformation from a one-party state to a multi-party system is one of the central challenges facing post-communist states. Before Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian parties were generally regarded as oligarchically financed vehicles of individual claims to power and state resources. The party system therefore seemed barely capable of reflecting the interests and demands of the population and effectively representing them in the political process. Using Hale’s concept of “patronal politics”, the author systematically traces the developmental dynamics of Ukrainian parties and addresses the question to which extent and under what conditions the party system has become institutionalized and consolidated. He briefly presents the most influential Ukrainian parties since independence with regard to their history, ideological orientation, electorate and political success. This analysis shows that the party system can tell us a lot about the dynamics of political change in Ukraine as a whole.