The 2012–13 Ukrainian Second League was the 22nd season of 3rd level professional football in Ukraine.
The competition began on 13 July 2012 when Hirnyk-Sport Komsomolsk visited Sevastopol to play against FC Sevastopol-2 and lost 3–1.
The first stage will be a round robin competition similar to the previous seasons.
The top teams of Groups 1 and 2 will also qualify for a championship play-off for the title of the Second League Champion as in the previous season.
In the case of exclusion and/or withdrawal of teams from the First League during the season the format of the promotion/relegation play-off will change.
[3] (See Favbet tournament) The Ukrainian Second League will be consolidated to twenty teams for the 2013–14 season.
In case when all the conditions will not identify a winner, the second game will go into an extra time and, if necessary, the penalty shootout.
The following teams were admitted by the PFL after playing in the 2012 Ukrainian Football Amateur League and passing attestation.
[6] The teams admitted without playing at amateur league Prior to the season it was expected that FC Lviv (relegated from the 2011–12 Ukrainian First League), Nyva Vinnytsia (withdrew from PFL and then reapplied) and Bastion Illichivsk (license granted after absence of one year) would participate in the competition.
Prior to the start of the season the club changed its location with the PFL to Holovkivka.
[3] Due to a number of withdrawals during the winter break the PFL had to make some adjustments in competition structure for the Second Stage for Groups 3 and 4 from the original plans.