Nearly One Million Banned Fireworks Destroyed in Tashkent

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The fire and rescue unit of the Bektimir District Emergency Department in Tashkent has destroyed 945,000 units of fireworks, according to customs authorities on 23 December 2025.

During operational measures and customs inspections, 136 cases of illegal importation of fireworks into the country were uncovered, with a total of more than 7.35 million items seized, valued at 2.3 billion soums.

Deputy Chairman of the Customs Committee, Otabek Choriyev, noted that over 90% of the seized products originated from Kyrgyzstan, followed by Kazakhstan. The main manufacturer remains China, while products from Russia are very rare. According to Choriyev, the peak period for imports falls in October–November, although the first case in 2025 was recorded as early as July.

Of the destroyed items, around 700,000 were confiscated by customs, over 240,000 by Ministry of Internal Affairs personnel, and more than 5,600 by the National Guard.

Most of the items consisted of rockets and party poppers with names such as “Novy Vek,” “Zimniy Les,” “Snejiki,” “S Novym Godom,” “Treniya,” “Britanik,” “Miki Maus,” “Zolotoy Pesok,” “Volk,” “Mimi Mishka,” “Happy Boom,” “Seven Shots,” and “Korolevskiy Salyut,” with a total value of nearly 500 million soums.

For destruction, the items were first soaked with water and foam, then crushed with an excavator and buried in a specially prepared pit along with water.

These measures aim to prevent the illegal circulation of fireworks and ensure the safety of the city’s residents.