Russia Strikes Famous Ukrainian Vodka Plant, Vaporizing Up to 4 Million Bottles

Russian airstrikes heavily damaged one of Ukraine's largest vodka factories, Ukrainian media outlets NV and The Kyiv Independent reported on the 28th local time.

According to Global Spirits, a US-headquartered beverage company, the Khortytsia distillery in southern Zaporizhzhia, established by the company in 2003, was struck at least four times the previous day, sparking a fire that lasted for over three hours.

The factory equipment was destroyed beyond repair, and 3 million to 4 million bottles of liquor, on which taxes had already been paid, were burned, melted, and rendered waste.

Considering an average price of 2.25 dollars per item, the scale of the damage amounts to 9 million dollars, or approximately 12.4 billion won in South Korean currency.

Global Spirits noted that major warehouses were already destroyed by Russian missiles on July 19, leaving product deliveries impossible.

The losses at that time were estimated at 2.20 million dollars, or about 3 billion won.

The distillery produces several well-known vodka brands, including Khortytsia, Morosha, and Pervak.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Global Spirits relocated half of its production capacity from the Zaporizhzhia distillery to a facility in Lviv, western Ukraine, according to reports.

Yevhen Chernyak, the owner of the company and one of Ukraine's wealthiest businessmen, is on the wanted list of Russia's Investigative Committee on charges of financing the Ukrainian military.

In May, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison in absentia by a Russian court.

In June, Russian authorities initiated nationalization procedures to forcibly dispose of Global Spirits' assets inside Russia through an auction.

Shortly after the outbreak of the war, Chernyak was once investigated by Ukrainian authorities on allegations that he failed to suspend his business in Russia and continued paying taxes there.

In response, Chernyak explained that he had halted the export and distribution of the company's products to Russia.

Following a Russian airstrike last month, Global Spirits released a statement saying, "Despite our warehouses, offices, and production facilities being attacked multiple times during the war, we have not lost the ability to maintain our operations, protect jobs, pay taxes, and support the Ukrainian economy amidst these difficulties."

(Photo: Global Spirits website, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.