Kyivans witnessed their own “Fast and Furious” moment in the city center on Aug. 10, when Red Bull Ukraine illegally filmed a sports car doing donuts on the historic Sofiivska Square.
The stunt burned black tire tracks into the sett-paved square, which will cost Hr 50,000 ($1,864) to remove, according to Kyiv authorities.
Police are investigating the incident as possible hooliganism. Responsible parties may face up to four years in prison.
Sofiivska Square is one of Kyiv’s most remarkable historic sites, sprawling in front of the 11th century St. Sophia’s Cathedral. The square also contains the 133-year-old monument to Hetman Bohdan Khmelnystky and is frequently used to celebrate Christmas and national holidays.
Following the incident, the Kyiv City State Administration published a statement saying it had not given permission to Red Bull Ukraine to shoot in the historic area.
The authorities said that filming involved cars drifting at high speeds in a non-enclosed pedestrian zone, potentially endangering people.
The Red Bull commercial was supposed to be dedicated to Ukraine’s upcoming 30th Independence Day, according to renowned Ukrainian rapper Alyona Alyona, who was involved in the shooting.
The rapper wrote on Instagram that the video was supposed to feature one of Red Bull’s top sponsored drifters, Conor Shanahan, along with Ukrainian opinion leaders.
“I was one of those leaders and my role was to just ride in a drift car, ” Alyona Alyona said.
Utility services and private cleaning companies are currently working to remove the tire tracks, according to Nelia Kukovalska, director general of the Sofia Kyivska National Reserve, which contains the square. She says that cleanup will take at least three days.
Kukovalska told Hromadske Radio that those who film such reckless stunts in one of Ukraine’s most important historic sites lack both culture and education.
“This is a holy place, this is the place where our state was born,” she said.
Following the public outrage, Red Bull Ukraine issued an apology.
“This was negligence on our part, and we deeply regret it,” the company wrote on Instagram.
