Investors have so far contributed funds for the privatization of 18 objects of the state enterprise Ukrspyrt, 15 of them have already signed acts of acceptance and transfer of property, 12 objects remain in the management of the state enterprise, head of Ukrspyrt Serhiy Bleskun wrote on Facebook.

"As of today, investors have paid funds for 18 objects of the state enterprise Ukrspyrt, 15 of them have signed acts of acceptance and transfer of property. This means that the objects have been completely transferred to the new owners. We look forward to the same news for the rest of the venues that were put up for auction," he wrote.

He specified that three more privatization auctions are expected to be announced this month and three in September.

"There is no alcohol monopoly anymore, there is a market! Let me explain: the privatized objects of Ukrspyrt receive licenses for production and wholesale trade and are gradually taking away our clients. In addition, from July 1 of this year, new objects began to be put into operation, which also received licenses. Their number will gradually increase," Bleskun said.

Since the beginning of the reform of the alcohol industry, the state owned 41 distilleries under the management of the state enterprise Ukrspyrt and 37 distilleries united in the concern Ukrspyrt. According to Bleskun, none of the concern's factories has yet been privatized.

"To complete the privatization of Ukrspyrt and to pay all debts, the enterprise needs legislative changes. Our work, the work of the Ministry of Economy and the State Property Fund of Ukraine in the direction of privatization of state enterprises without these changes, I'm afraid, may stop. Therefore, we are waiting for the sixth session of the Verkhovna Rada of the ninth convocation and adoption of decisions important for Ukrspyrt," the head of the state enterprise said.

Earlier, Bleskun reported that as of July 28, 2021 Ukrspyrt owns 16 distilleries, while on the same date in 2020, it had 41 distilleries on its balance sheet.

On December 11, 2019, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law abolishing the state monopoly on alcohol production from July 1, 2020, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on December 3, 2019.