Fines up to 34,000 UAH can be imposed for fireworks during celebrations
3 January 2025
Since February 24, 2022, Ukrainians have received 44 verdicts for launching fireworks, according to “Babushka” data. Most of these are fines, though some include both conditional and actual prison sentences. The highest number of verdicts has been issued in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk region.
The number of “failed” firework launches has increased year by year. In 2022, there were only 5 cases, in 2023 the number grew to 17, and in 2024 there were 22. 52% of the verdicts involve real criminal cases. In the remaining cases, courts imposed fines or conditional penalties (such as corrective labor).
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainians have been banned from using pyrotechnic devices. On November 6, 2023, Law No. 7438 came into force, prohibiting the use and distribution of most fireworks, firecrackers, and salutes. It was then that Ukrainians started being actively held accountable.
The most fireworks-related celebrations over the past three years took place in Kyiv, with 11 verdicts issued. Next were the Dnipro and Odesa regions, with 6 and 5 cases, respectively.
In general, the use of pyrotechnics during the war in Ukraine is usually punished with fines. Depending on the circumstances and severity of the offense, courts have imposed various fines, ranging from 54 UAH to 34,000 UAH. The last fine for fireworks in 2024 was imposed on October 31 in the Kharkiv region — 85 UAH.
However, there was a case in the Poltava region where the offender was sentenced to 40 hours of community service for launching pyrotechnics. This happened because the defendant had previously been held administratively responsible, and the court considered this an aggravating factor.
Another man from Mykolaiv started 2024 with a one-year probation sentence after launching fireworks during an air raid alarm, scaring local residents who heard explosions.
An even more severe punishment was handed down to a man from Odesa in February 2023 — imprisonment for 5 years and 3 months. In this case, the defendant’s previous probation sentence played a decisive role.
Source: Opendatabot
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