Kyiv alcohol ban ends today

As part of martial law imposed across much of the country in the wake of the Russian invasion, many local authorities in Ukraine have banned the sale of alcohol, but no more says war journalist.

The alcohol ban measures were imposed in cities close to the conflict, such as Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Lviv, in order to maintain public order. Since then, many local authorities have fluctuated between relaxing and tightening restrictions.

In Kyiv, Mayor Klitschko took to Telegram to announce that from 1 March “…the sale of alcoholic beverages is strictly prohibited. Completely!”

Danylo Hemantsev, head of the Ukrainian parliament’s tax and customs committee, supported lifting the ban: “I do not want to shock fans of prohibition, but vodka is sold anyway [under the counter]…By banning the sale, you are not stopping it, but rather taking away money from duties and taxes, money needed by the state.”

However, the alcohol ban appears to have come to an end, according to British journalist John Sweeney, formerly of Newsnight. Sweeney is now an independent journalist and has remained in Kyiv for the duration of the war so far – his daily Twitter reports concerning the situation in Ukraine have received much attention, as have his snapshots of life near the frontline.

On 31 March, he Tweeted the following, alongside a  photo of a bottle of 2019 Chianti.

“Big bang in Kyiv two hours ago. Incoming, targeted. Life continues. For the first time since the war started, the Buena Vista has given me a proper wine glass to savour my Chianti. The alcohol ban is lifted tomorrow.

Buena Vista is a Ukrainian bar that has defiantly stayed open during the ban. Considered by many to be the last speakeasy in town, Sweeney has regularly joked that the alcohol ban has been the toughest part about living in Kyiv.

But he has also described the bar in more poignant terms. In a piece written for Index On Censorship, Sweeney described the empty chairs at the Buena Vista bar, which is “bang next to a Ukrainian police checkpoint”, as being tragic reminders of his fallen journalist friends who died bringing the “light” of information to the world.

The month long ban concludes today on April 1, and many residents and journalists alike will be hoping that it isn’t just an April Fools’.