A couple wearing face masks amid concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 shopping in Velyka Kyshenya supermarkets on March 27, 2020 in central Kyiv. In 2019, half of the spirit production in Ukraine was in the shadow, according to the State Property Fund.
Since the Ukrainian government lifted its monopoly on alcohol production a year ago, investors have started buying state-owned distilleries one by one.
As of June 16, the State Property Fund has already sold 25 distilleries, mostly idle, for a total of $45 million, according to Kostiantyn Koshelenko, Deputy Chairman of the State Property Fund.