18% of restaurants ignore the ban on smoking indoors – study
4 April 2025 11:49
The All-Ukrainian Campaign “Smoke-Free Youth” in partnership with the Center for Civic Representation “Life” presented the results of public monitoring of how restaurant establishments comply with anti-tobacco legislation. This was reported on the website of the Center for Democracy and Rule of Law, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Volunteers checked 500 cafes, bars, and restaurants in 7 cities between November 2024 and February 2025: Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro, Rivne, Vinnytsia, and Ternopil.
What are the results of the monitoring?
The vast majority (82%) of establishments comply with the ban on smoking all tobacco and nicotine products indoors. The situation varies among regions – for example, in Dnipro and Odesa, the figure is only 74%, and in Lviv and Rivne – 90%.
E-cigarettes (84%), heating cigarettes (83%), hookah (79%), and classic cigarettes (13%) are the most commonly smoked products. Most hookah establishments also allowed smoking one or more types of tobacco products.
Only 9% of restaurants, cafes, and bars have a smoking ban notice or sticker that looks like it is in compliance with the law. The highest number of stickers is in Ternopil (18%), Rivne (14%), and Kyiv (12%).
No advertising of tobacco products, devices for heating tobacco or hookahs was recorded in 84% of restaurant establishments.
Instead, violators most often used advertising through social media posts about hookah smoking (77%), the presence of hookahs in paper or electronic menus (54%), part of the signage depicting a hookah (15%), showcases with cigarettes or HTPs (11%), the presence of cigarettes, HTPs or devices in paper or electronic menus (10%), and the IQOS Friendly sign (7%).
As a reminder, since 2012, the current legislation prohibits any advertising of tobacco products, as well as smoking of tobacco products, e-cigarettes and hookahs in all premises of restaurant establishments. Since 2022, this list has included tobacco products for heating (so-called aikos).
Not only volunteers check restaurant establishments
Based on complaints from citizens, 250 unscheduled inspections of compliance with anti-tobacco legislation by restaurant establishments were carried out in 2024. This was announced by Oleh Kobelkov, Head of the Department for Control over Advertising and Compliance with Anti-Tobacco Legislation of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection.
According to the official, violations were found in 183 business entities (73%). In total, financial sanctions amounting to UAH 6.9 million were imposed, of which UAH 5 million (72%) was paid voluntarily, UAH 210 thousand was enforced, and UAH 1.5 million was appealed in courts.
In addition, in 2024, 150 cases of violations of the Law of Ukraine “On Advertising” were identified in the context of advertising tobacco products, devices for them and e-cigarettes. The amount of fines amounted to UAH 403 thousand, of which UAH 306 thousand (76%) has already been paid.
Parliament plans to strengthen anti-tobacco legislation
Members of Parliament may finally ban the display of tobacco products, thereby reducing their attractiveness, especially for children and young people.
The ban is envisaged by the new draft law No. 12091, which is being worked on in the parliament. This was announced by MP Lada Bulakh.
According to her, the draft law also bans flavored tobacco products for electric heating and introduces combined medical warnings on both stick packs and heating devices.
Lada Bulakh also expressed hope that the problem of nicotine pads (snus), which are still available for purchase even for children under current legislation, will finally be resolved.
