Conflict between “Kyivreklama” and small businesses: stories about the illegal dismantling of signs in Kyiv

In Kyiv, there is a massive dismantling of minor business signs – without court decisions or warnings. The municipal enterprise “Kyivreklama” is actively removing the names of cafes and shops, without providing any documents. The owners do not even have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the reasons for the dismantling. All this is happening quickly, in broad daylight.

This is what Kosholap Elizaveta’s story for StopKor says.

One of the owners who suffered from such actions was Gennady, who runs the cafe “DOMA”. He says that employees of “Kyivreklama” began removing his sign without presenting any documents, and when he tried to stop them, they used physical force against him.

Gennady shared his impressions: “One of them grabbed me in a chokehold. It became difficult for me to breathe. I tried to wriggle out of it and asked what they were doing. And he replied that ‘maybe I like to hug’.”

For Gennady, this cafe and its name were a symbol of connection with his hometowns – Donetsk and Mariupol, so the loss of the sign was a blow not only to business, but also to the emotional component. The owner considers the utility workers’ actions illegal and defiant.

“They tried to remove the sign, but did not provide any documents. There should be a warning, an instruction, an order that I have the right to familiarize myself with. They just came, removed it, and left. This is a crime,” he emphasized.

A similar situation happened to Svitlana, the owner of a store, whose sign was also dismantled without reason. “The sign symbolized our business. When the utility workers came, they said, ‘We’re going to take everything down now.’ When we returned, they had already taken all our signs without a trace,” she said.

Lawyers consider the utility workers’ actions a violation of the law. Lawyer Tetyana Ivanova notes that the Kyiv administration wrongly equates information signs with outdoor advertising. “There is a big problem in Kyiv. The city administration believes that all signs indicating businesses are subject to the advertising laws. This contradicts the norms of the law,” she commented.

Cases of dismantling of signs even occur at state institutions, such as the “Ukrzaliznytsia” sign. Journalists learned that the sign on Jerzy Giedroyc Street was removed without following the rules.

The Kyivreklama KP response states that the sign was installed in violation of regulations. “Based on the photo recording, a signboard was found to be placed in violation of the requirements,” they noted.

However, the documentation states that the ban applies only to covering architectural elements, and the Ukrzaliznytsia signboard does not violate these requirements. Thus, the utility workers’ actions appear unfounded.

The situation is gaining momentum: new stories about illegal dismantling appear every week. Not only entrepreneurs, but also state-owned companies have suffered. The Kyivreklama KP refuses to comment on the situation, while entrepreneurs are preparing lawsuits in the courts, hoping for justice and an end to arbitrariness.