My WordPress Plugins Reinstated in the Repository — Except One

In September 2025 my WordPress plugins reinstated in the official repository. I rewrote more than half of the code, adapted everything to the current version of WordPress, and rechecked the plugins for vulnerabilities. One important change was dropping support for very old PHP versions (previously the plugins even worked on 5.6). Modern WordPress versions require PHP 7.4 or higher, so using the same minimum version for plugin requirements is logical.

After finishing the updates, I notified the reviewers — and my plugins became available in the repository again.

The Exception: The Puilo Plugin

The only plugin that did not come back was Puilo. The situation around it turned out unusual, and it deserves an explanation.

The first version of Puilo appeared in the WordPress repository on January 5, 2016. From that moment until December 10, 2023, when all plugins temporarily disappeared because of a technical failure, users downloaded it more than 700 times. Those downloads show that at least 700 people considered it useful or interesting.

After updating the Puilo plugin according to 2025 best practices, I submitted a request to restore it in the repository — but received the following answer:

We reviewed the plugin page and the content that replaces a public figure’s name with a political slogan raises a clear issue: uses explicit derogatory language aimed at an individual.

The answer surprised me. For seven years, no one considered it a violation. Suddenly, the exact same wording triggered a ban. I asked the reviewer for clarification and added that I was ready to remove the word “Khuilo”:

Dear WordPress Plugin Review Team,

This plugin had already been hosted in the repository previously, which indicates that earlier reviewers considered it acceptable in the context of the guidelines.

The individual referenced in the plugin is not a regular public figure but a person indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, crimes against humanity, mass killings of civilians, and the abduction of children. While I am writing this message, missiles launched under his command continue to strike civilian buildings.

That said, I am willing to make adjustments. Specifically, I will remove the explicit wording that triggered your concern and will keep only a neutral reference (“Puilo”), which conveys the plugin’s idea without violating the guidelines.

And I received a reply stating that the term “Khuilo” cannot be used to refer to the Kremlin dictator — but if the term is removed from the plugin, there would be no issues:

Thank you for the prompt response.

The directory guidelines does not permit plugins that include or distribute explicit insults aimed at individuals. Prior acceptance does not remove that obligation or guarantee future approvals under the current guidelines.

We understand that this is a highly sensitive topic. We are not considering it from a political standpoint.

If you remove the explicit derogatory wording and keep only a neutral, non-insulting name reference (as you describe), that change would resolve the core guideline problem noted.

Once that change is present in the committed code, please reply to this email and we will review the plugin again in the normal queue.

I did exactly that: I removed the word “Khuilo”.
And still, I received a rejection — this time with no explanation at all.

What This Looks Like From Ukrainians

From the perspective of any Ukrainian, this situation looks like an attempt by WordPress reviewers to protect the Kremlin dictator. Because of this, I moved the Puilo plugin to GitHub. From now on, everyone can download it there or from my blog.

With the rest of my WordPress plugins reinstated in the official repository, users can still download and update them as usual.