Blogger Alkhym drove for a year without a driver's licence

 In March 2024, the Kyiv Court of Appeal finally upheld the decision of the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv: under Part 1 of Article 130 of the Code of Administrative Offences, refusing to undergo a test for intoxication is equated to driving under the influence. Circumstances of the case • Date and time: 2 December 2023, 01:34 • Location: 35 Mykola Mykhnovskyi Boulevard (Kyiv) • Vehicle: Land Rover Range Rover • Behind the wheel: blogger Alkhym According to the case materials, patrol officers recorded signs of intoxication, specifically: • smell of alcohol on the breath; • slurred speech; • impaired coordination of movements. 

 The officers offered her to undergo a test on the spot (Dräger) and at a medical facility, but she refused both options. The bodycam footage attached to the case shows that the police repeatedly explained the legal consequences of refusal. That same evening, Alkhym also received a fine for running a red light, which she paid without contesting it. 

In court, she denied the fact of driving the car, but the courts of first and appeal instance did not accept these arguments. Court decision • Deprivation of the right to drive vehicles for a period of 1 year (Part 1 of Article 130 of the Code of Administrative Offences). • The decision entered into legal force after the appeal review.