Key points:
- In Ukraine, 63 convictions have been handed down for setting off fireworks during the war.
- Pyrotechnics have been officially banned since November 2023.
- Some of the cases are classified as criminal offences.
- In 2025, courts handed down 16 convictions for setting off fireworks during wartime.
- Most cases were recorded in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions.
In Ukraine, courts have handed down 63 convictions for the use of fireworks since the start of the full-scale war, despite a long-standing ban on pyrotechnics during hostilities. Analysis of court records shows that the number of such convictions is increasing every year, and some cases are classified as criminal offences, resulting in actual prison sentences.
The law prohibits the use of most pyrotechnics from November 2023, but citizens continue to set off fireworks, which often causes panic among the population, especially during air raid alerts. In 2025, courts handed down 16 convictions for setting off fireworks during the war.
A significant portion of these cases were treated as criminal offences under the article on hooliganism. Offenders receive various types of punishment, ranging from fines and community service to suspended prison sentences.
Among the regions, fireworks were most often set off in Kyiv, where approximately one in four convictions were recorded, as well as in the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions.
