63 court verdicts have been issued for launching fireworks

Ukrainian courts have issued 63 verdicts for the use of pyrotechnics since the beginning of the full-scale war. Despite the ban on fireworks, the court register continues to be regularly updated with such cases year after year. The fewest verdicts were issued in the first year of the full-scale invasion — only five. At the time, these appeared to be isolated incidents. However, within a year, the number of court decisions increased 3.4 times.

Courts issued 16 rulings for launching fireworks during the war in the incomplete year of 2025.

It is telling that offenders are punished not only administratively — more than half of the cases are classified as criminal under the article on hooliganism. In every second case, the court views the launching of fireworks not merely as a violation of public order, but as brazen behavior that can cause panic and pose a threat to people.

Fireworks are most often set off in the capital: almost every fourth verdict, or 15 cases, was recorded in Kyiv. Dnipropetrovsk region ranks second with 8 verdicts, followed by Odesa region with 7 verdicts. Together, these regions account for nearly half of all verdicts.

Punishments for setting off fireworks during the war range from symbolic fines to actual prison sentences. For minor hooliganism, courts imposed fines of 51–119 hryvnias, while in criminal cases the amounts increased to up to 34,000 hryvnias. In some cases, offenders were sentenced to community service — for example, in Kyiv, a man who launched fireworks while intoxicated received 50 hours of mandatory community work.

In addition, launching fireworks can also result in imprisonment. In Rivne, an offender set off fireworks in a schoolyard and later threatened the police with a combat grenade. Overall, the court sentenced him to 4 years in prison, but replaced the actual sentence with 2 years of probation, as the defendant decided to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Another man, this time from Kyiv, decided to use party poppers and fireworks right from his apartment window while intoxicated. For this, he received one year of probation.

Even “festive” explanations do not help. Court practice includes convictions for fireworks at gender reveal parties and for cold spark fountains at weddings — in these cases, offenders got away with fines.

It is worth recalling that since November 2023, the use of most pyrotechnic devices has been officially banned under Law No. 7438. Courts increasingly emphasize that launching fireworks during the war is not just noise, but an act that causes panic, increases social tension, and shows disregard for people who have experienced shelling.